Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level/Subject: 4th

Central Focus: Citizenship
Essential Standard/Common Core Objective:
4.C&G.2.2 Give examples of rights and responsibilities of
Date submitted: 4/2/16
citizens according to the North Carolina Constitution.
Date taught: 3/14/16
4.C&G2.3 Differentiate between rights and responsibilities
reflected in the North Carolina Constitution.
Daily Lesson Objective: Students will be able to differentiate between rights and responsibilities
and give personal examples.
21st Century Skills: Collaboration,
Academic Language Demand (Language Function and
Critical Thinking, Communication
Vocabulary): Rights, Responsibilities, Citizen, Article 1,
North Carolina Constitution, Government
Prior Knowledge: Students will already know about the Branches of Government and have
reviewed the North Carolina Constitution. They will understand what the Constitution is and that
it protects NC Citizens.
Activity

1. Focus and Review

2. Statement of
Objective
for Student
3. Teacher Input

Description of Activities and Setting

Get the students attention and tell them you are going to be
teaching the lesson today. Yesterday you learned about the
North Carolina Constitution. Who remembers what it does?
Wait for students to say it protects our rights. Yes today we
are going to learn more about rights and responsibilities and
the difference between the two. Everyone get your Social
Studies Notebook and come to the carpet with me. (Having
students move out of their desks to accommodate the ADHD
learners and keep students engaged)
Today we are going to learn about the North Carolina
Constitution and the differences between rights and
responsibilities.
Once everyone is sitting at the carpet with the notebooks
begin a discussion. State the objective, Today we are going
to learn about the North Carolina Constitution and the
differences between rights and responsibilities. Ask students,
Can anyone tell me what a right is? Let students answer and
tell them if they are correct or not. Then write the definition
on the easil at the carpet and instruct students to copy it in
their notebook. While writing the definition say what you are
writing. Right: privileges belonging to a person as a benefit of
citizenship. A freedom you have that is protected by the
United States and North Carolina Constitution. Ask students,
What are some rights you have? And What do you think
would happen if we did not have rights? Why are rights
important? Let students answer and share their ideas then

Time

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4. Guided Practice

tell them, Everyone would not be treated equally if we did

not have rights and everyone would not have the right to go
to school! You might even have to go to jail if you are
accused of a crime even though you are innocent!
Next ask students if they know what it means to be a citizen.
Give students a chance to answer and elaborate on their
answers or tell them the correct definition. Write and say the
definition on the easel paper. Citizen: a member of a
community, state or nation. You are a citizen of your state,
country, school and family. Then tell students, Because you
are a citizen you have rights and responsibilities. The National
and State Law guarantees rights of all its citizens. Ask
students to share where they are a citizen of.
Now Ask students if they know what a responsibility is, and
tell them We have responsibilities because we have rights
and because we are citizens. Let students answer and then
tell them and write on the paper: Responsibility- A duty a
person is expected to do. Duties or obligations of citizens. Ask
students to give you examples of responsibilities we have as
citizens of the places they said they were citizens of.
Now instruct students to go back to their seats and take their
notebooks with them. We are going to take a look at the
North Carolina Constitution again. Put the Constitution up on
the board for students to refer to. Our rights and
responsibilities are stated here and the constitution is what
protects these rights so they cannot be taken away from us.
We are going to make two spider webs to organize our North
Carolina Rights and our North Carolina Responsibilities. We
just named a lot of them on the carpet but they are all listed
her under Article 1 on the North Carolina Constitution. Draw a
spider chart and fill it out with the students one with North
Carolina Rights in the middle and the other with North
Carolina Responsibilities in the center. *Model chart is
attached* Have students raise their hands and share additions
they think you should add to the web and help them find the
ones in the constitution if they miss any.
Now divide students into partners and give them a bag of
mixed up rights and responsibilities cut outs. Instruct students
to organize the cut outs in the correct column on the
worksheet labeled rights and responsibilities. Walk around the
classroom and check to see students are doing well. Prompt
students to change things that are wrong and help them
figure out why they belong in the alternative column.

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5. Independent
Practice

6. Assessment
Methods of
all
objectives/skills:

7. Closure

Have students use a blank page in their notebooks. Instruct

students to choose either school or home to do this
assignment with. Ask them to come up with 3 rights they have
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at the location they choose where they are a citizen and 3
responsibilities. When they are done they can draw a picture
depicting one underneath their list.
I will assess students when I go around and check their work when they
are working in partners. If they have 15 out of 18 correct they have met
the objective and understand the differences between rights and
responsibilities. I will also assess if they have the 3 rights and 3
responsibilities correct in their notebook. They will need to have 5 out of
6 correct to meet the objective for this assignment.
Have students raise their hands and share what rights and
responsibilities they came up with that they have either at
school or at home. Have at least 5 students share their work.
Remind students we are all citizens and we have rights that
3
are protected by the NC. Constitution. Because we are
citizens and have rights we also have responsibilities to our
community and other citizens.
Partner Worksheet: 15 out of the 19 students met the objective.
Social Studies Notebook Assignment: All students met the objective!
*Some student work is attached

8. Assessment
Results of
all
objectives/skills:
Targeted Students
Student/Small Group
Modifications/Accommodations: The two
Modifications/Accommodations: For students who
students with ADHD in my class will be
finish early I will have them do the matching
accommodated by being allowed to choose
worksheet again and mix up the cut outs. If they
where they want to do their puzzle in the
finish the S.S. notebook work early they can draw
classroom. I will let all the students choose
a picture for each right and responsibility they
but it will benefit the students diagnosed
came up with at their school or their home.
with ADHD. They will also find going to the
carpet for one activity helpful in paying
attention too. I will pay attention to if they
are on topic and help them come back if
they are doing something else.
Materials/Technology: Whiteboard, markers, NC Constitution, Worksheet, Cutouts for Worksheet,
Easel with giant notebook paper.
References: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/North-Carolina-State-Constitution390265
Kim Miller- Rights and Responsibilities Worksheet
Reflection on lesson:
This lesson went very well and the students were interested and engaged. They really liked the
variety of different activities that we did to help them understand the differences between rights

and responsibilities. The students had great ideas and they really understood the rights and
responsibilities in the constitution even better than I had expected them to. It was good when I
asked students, What would happen if we didnt have rights? and they answered with a variety
of ideas. They said, We might not be able to go to school, there would be chaos, things
wouldnt be fair. All of these answers showed they were really thinking about what I was asking
them and they understood rights are important. I was lucky because I got to teach my lesson two
times. The teachers I was cooperating with team teach and so I was offered the chance to teach
both classes the lesson. It was good because I got extra practice but it would have been even
better if the lessons were not directly after one another. I was not able to change much about the
lesson but I was more prepared and confident during the second lesson.
If I could change something about my lesson I would have spread it over more than one day.
There is so much you can do with this topic it was hard to squeeze it into one 50 minute lesson. I
say 50 minutes because by the time the students get from one classroom to the next and get out
their notebooks you do not really have a full hour to teach. I would also choose to teach the
lesson on a different day other than a Friday for classroom management issues. The students
were very excited to leave and be out of class for the weekend so they were more hyper than
they had been during other lessons I had taught. However this was the choice I was given so I
had to make the best of it and use the tool the teacher used and say, Class, Class, Class and
they respond Yes, Yes, Yes when they got too loud or off topic.
After this experience I have more confidence about teaching Social Studies!