Grade Level: 1st Grade

WIDA Proficiency Level: 4 (Expanding)

WIDA Standards
ELD Standard 5: The Language of Social Studies
Students at all levels of English language proficiency interact with grade-level
words and expressions

Performance Definition: Within the sociocultural contexts for language use

children will speak using...
Short and some expanded sentences with emerging complexity
Expanded expression of one idea or emerging expression of multiple related
ideas
Repetitive grammatical structures with occasional variation
Sentence patterns across content areas
Specific content language, including cognates and expressions
Words or expressions with multiple meanings used across content areas
(WIDA, 2012)
Topic: American Leaders in Early U.S. History
Virginia SOL: 1.2 The student will describe the stories of American leaders and
their contributions to our country, with emphasis on George Washington,
Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, and Eleanor
Roosevelt.
Responsive Speaking

Purpose: Assess a childs ability to respond to open-ended short questions from

an interlocutor with a brief response. The focus will be on the content of the
students answer and whether or not they know the appropriate vocabulary
needed to answer each question. The students ability to understand the question
and respond grammatically correct way will be assessed.
Directions: (Given orally) Carefully listen to each question and answer in a
complete sentence. **This will take place in a one-on-one interview with the
teacher while students are completing another activity**
Students Hear:
1. What is one example of what Benjamin Franklin is famous for? (Proving
electricity through his kite experiment, starting the first library, starting the first
volunteer fire department in America) [1 point for one example]

2. What are two examples of what Abraham Lincoln is famous for? (President of the
U.S., known as Honest Abe, teaching himself how to read) [1 point for each
example]
3. What is one example of what George Washington is famous for? (Was a farmer,
was a brave leader of soldiers, was the first President of the U.S., known as the
Father of Our Country) [1 point for one example]
4. What are two example of what George Washington Carver is famous for?
(African American during the time of slavery in the U.S., studied science and
plants, was a teacher, developed many uses for peanuts, sweet potatoes, and
soybeans) [1 point for one example]
5. What is one example of what Eleanor Roosevelt is famous for? (was a leader for
equal rights for all people, volunteered for many organizations, was the First
Lady to President Roosevelt) [1 point for each example]
6. Who is your favorite American leader? Why? [1 point for naming an American
leader, 1 point for explaining one reason why]
7. If you pick any American leader to be for the day, who would you pick? Why? [1
point for naming an American leader, 1 point for explaining reason why]
Extensive Speaking
Purpose: Assess a childs ability to use planning in the use of expanded
expression of one idea during which the opportunity for oral interaction with other
people is highly limited or ruled out altogether.
Activity Description: Students will choose one of the five American leaders that
have been discussed in class to give a short presentation on (2-3 minutes).
There will be books available in the classroom on each American leader for the
students to use as resources to prepare the information they will present. Each
child will be asked to answer the 5Ws (See Attachment) about their chosen
American leader within their presentation. To help support their presentation they
will also be creating a mini-poster (8.5X11 inch paper), in which they will draw a
picture of their leader and a picture to symbolize their facts. An example will be
provided. This activity will be completed in a weeks span, with Friday being the
presentation day. There will be a rubric to assess the presentation both in
content and how well the student can expand on their topic; there will also be a
checklist to assess oral presentation.
Directions (Given orally on Monday): You will choose one of our 5 American
leaders to talk to the class about on Friday. You will use books about your leader
to find facts about them to answer the 5Ws (Who, What, When, Where, Why).
Create a mini-poster with a drawing of your leader and pictures describing the
facts you find about them. On Friday everyone will show their poster to the class
and talk about what they found about their leader.

Points (content):
Mini-poster (9 points):
o Drawing of American leader (3 points)
o Name of American leader written on poster (3 points)
o At least 4 pictures depicting 5Ws facts (3 points)
Presentation (24 points):
o Introduces American leader and gives a brief background on them
(6 points)
o Verbally makes connections between pictures and the facts they
found about the leader (6 points)
o Describes what time period they are from (6 points)
o Tells about four contributions they made to US history (6 points)
(Note: For the presentation students will be assessed on how well they are able
to expand on their topic--American leader--and their uses of some short and
some expanded sentences. They will also be assessed on how well they are
able to give a presentation that flows and is somewhat organized around a
common theme--5W

Rubric for Mini Poster and Extensive Speaking Presentation

Element 1: Mini-Poster

Terrific - 3 points

Very

Good - 2
points

Good - 1 point

Needs Work -0 points

Terrific drawing of
American leader with
color and detail.

Very good drawing of

American leader with
some color and
detail.

Good drawing of
American leader with
no color or detail.

No drawing of
American leader.

Name of American
leader clearly and
spelled correctly
written on poster.

Name of American
leader written on
poster, but is spelled
incorrectly.

Name of American
leader hard to find on
poster.

No name of American
leader on poster.

Four pictures of 5Ws

facts.

Three pictures of
5Ws fact.

One or two pictures

of 5 Ws fact.

No pictures of 5Ws
fact.

Element 2: Presentation

Criteria

Terrific6 points

Very Good 4
points

Good2 points

Needs Work0 points

American
Leader
introduced

Introduces
American leader
and provides
background
information.

Introduces
American leader
and provides little
background
information.

Introduces
American leader
with no
background
information.

The American
leader was not
introduced.

Verbally makes
connections
between
pictures and
facts

Verbally makes
connections
between 4 pictures
and facts.

Verbally makes
connections
between 3
pictures and facts.

Verbally makes
connections
between 1-2
pictures and facts.

Verbally makes
connections
between no
pictures and
facts.

Describes time
period of
American
leader

Gives a description
of full time period
of American leader,
providing specific
dates.

Gives a brief
description of
general time
period.

Only gives dates

for time period of
American leader.

Gives no
description of
time period of
American leader.

Tells about
contributions
American
leader made to
US history

Tells about 4
contributions the
American leader
made to US
history.

Tells about 3
contributions the
American leader
made to US
history.

Tells about 2
contributions the
American leader
made to US
history.

Tells about 1 or
less contributions
the American
leader made to
US history.

s.