Lesson Plan

Name: Bonnie Lewis

Date:

3.14.16 (m.d.yy)

Cycle: Choose one...

Age/Grade Level: 16 / IB 1

# of Students: 27

#Gifted: N/A

#IEP: N/A

#ELL: 27

Lesson Title: The Russian Civil War

Lesson Context:
I will bet teaching this lesson to IB 1 (16 years old) for their World History course. This course is a general survey of
European History and its aim is to prepare students to enter into the IB program next year. I will be teaching the lesson at
Katedralskolan in Linkoping, Sweden. This school is the oldest school in Linkoping and has a reputation for being
challenging academically. While the majority of the class is Swedish, there are a fair number of students coming from other
countries, adding to the diversity of the classroom. This often provides an opportunity for diverse perspectives during class
discussion. For all students, English is not their first language. These students are beginning their IB academic career, and
have therefore, not specialized their studies yet. This means that this history course is compulsory and not something all of
the students have chosen to take. There are times when this can become a factor in the energy of the classroom. Additionally,
the students are the youngest in the school, and some have not yet learned how to appropriately interact in a classroom and
can sometimes come off as immature. However, overall, the students are well behaved and eager to engage in the lessons
planned.
This lesson will occur during the middle of a unit. Students have had lessons on Russia in the 19th century as well as the three
Revolutions in the early 1900s that led up to the Russian Civil War. Students have learned about World War I in a previous
unit, which has also established background for this lesson. This unit is focusing on the rise of Soviet Russia with an
emphasis on international relations in Europe.
Students prepared for this lesson by reading select text from their textbook as well as completing an organizer on the cause
and courses of the three revolutions that led up to the outbreak of Civil War. This will prepare students to look at the course of
the Civil War and, most importantly, begin to examine the consequences of it.
This lesson will start off with image analysis of propaganda from the Bolsheviks. This will allow students to practice their
analytical skills. Ultimately, the lesson will focus on the question, Why did the Reds win the Civil War? and students will
be given a task at the end of organizing the factors contributing to Bolshevik success in a visual way (see attached activity).
This will allow students to synthesize the information they learned in class today as well as give them the opportunity to
practice organizing historical evidence into arguments, a skill that will benefit them in their essay writing.

Respond to the following items:

Identify the learning targets/objective(s) addressed by this lesson.
-

Students will analyze primary sources and discuss in the context of the historical time period being studied
Students will understand what groups were involved in the Russian Civil War
Students will understand the course of the Russian Civil War
Students will understand the factors that led to Bolshevik success in the Russian Civil War
Students will synthesize information about the Russian Civil War to create and support an argument

Connecting learning targets to Kentucky Core Academic Standards:

HS1.HT.12 Chronological Reasoning: Causation and Continuity Analyze multiple and complex
causes and effects of developments, events and historical periods and identify the differences
between long-term and triggering events.
HS2.HT.15 Interpretation and Synthesis Analyze and synthesize evidence obtained from historical
sources and secondary interpretations to determine their relationship.
Describe the pre-assessment(s) used to establish all students baseline knowledge and skills for this lesson.
Prior to this lesson, students have completed a unit on World War I with a summative assessment at the end. I have
seen this assessment and understand students knowledge of the regional history during the period being studied.
Additionally, I have looked to the initial lessons in the unit on the Russian Civil war and have paid attention to
students source analysis skills as well as synthesis skills. I have noticed that students need help in moving beyond
describing historical events and must be aided in analysis. Additionally, students need practice in interpreting
primary sources. Finally, looking at the information that has been covered and needs to be covered in order for
students to have a survey of the Russian Civil War has informed the creation of this lesson.
Describe how you will differentiate instruction to accommodate students identified learning strengths and needs.
This class has students whose English language abilities are at different levels. One way I accommodate students of
different levels is to offer students access to my lecture notes if they request so that they will have the notes to aid
them in following along in the lecture. Additionally, I write key vocabulary terms on the board so that students are
clear on what I am referring to and know the proper spelling of a word if they wish to look it up later.
Additionally, while all of the students are bright and capable, some students do not have as strong a grasp on
analytical skills as others do. Therefore, whenever there is class discussion around analyzing a point, I scaffold the
discussion questions I pose to the class to help guide students who struggle in this area through the cognitive
process that must happen to properly analyze a source. When students speak out in class, the follow up questions I
ask differ depending on their analytical skills as some students need more assistance in arriving at analysis.
Is there anything that you would like observed specifically during the lesson?
I would like my abilities in encouraging classroom participation in discussion examined. I struggle to get all
students engaged in discussion. Additionally, I am interested in ways to improve my questioning techniques. I have
found that when students provide answers that need more explanation, it is difficult for me to scaffold questions to
guide them towards a more meaningful response that is based on the source being discussed.
I would also like my lesson to be examined for clarity and depth, as I am working on my skills of distilling the
topic covered into a concise lesson that fully examines an event without getting bogged down in extra details.

Lesson Outline:
I.
Image Analysis
II.
Lecture: How did the Bolsheviks Win the War?
III.
Google Map
IV.
Propaganda Analysis
V.
Flowchart Activity
Lesson Objectives/Learning
Targets

Objective/Target:

Formative Assessment Process

Assessment Description:

Instructional Strategies/Activities

Strategies/Activities:

HS1.HT.12 Chronological
Assessment for this lesson will be
Reasoning: Causation and
1. Students will listen to
primarily through observation of
Continuity Analyze multiple and student engagement. Periodically,
lecture on the Russian
complex
Civil War with an
questions will be posed to the group
causes and effects of
emphasis on the factors
about the content they are being
developments, events and historical taught and I will be able to see which
contributing to Bolshevik
periods and identify the differences students are actively participating,
success
between long-term and triggering which are not participating, and
2. Students will take notes
events.
during lecture
which students are struggling to
3. Students will use these
understand the content. Additionally,
- Students will understand what the concluding activity of the lesson
notes to complete a
groups were involved in the will assess the students
flowchart activity that will
Russian Civil War
demonstrate their
comprehension of the key events
- Students will understand the taught today.
knowledge of the factors
course of the Russian Civil
that led to Bolshevik
War
success during the Civil
Differentiated Assessment:
- Students will understand the
War.
factors that led to Bolshevik Differentiation will occur in two ways.
success in the Russian Civil The first is through the question I
Differentiated
War
pose to the group during the lesson. Strategies/Activities:
If I notice students are struggling
Differentiation occurs during
with a concept, I will scaffold the
questions I pose to them during the lecture by providing students
Critical Vocabulary:
lecture. Additionally, if a student has with a handout that outlines key
the basics of a question down, I will events during the lecture as well
ask for more analysis. This will allow as a timeline of the period being
Analyze
me to get a feel for how students are discussed. This will serve as a
Cause and Effect
tool for students whose English
taking in the information.
Reds, Whites, and
skills are not as advanced as
Greens
other classmates in that they
Student Self-Assessment:
Bolshevik
will be able to reference the
Students will be able to assess their sheet in order to keep up with
own ability when they complete the classroom instruction. The
flowchart activity at the end of class. handout is given to all students
in order to minimize any
This will help them formulate the
information they have learned into embarrassment over requiring
an argument supported by evidence, the sheet and ensure that
which is a skill they need to work on everyone who needs the help
receives it.
in their essay writing.

Objective/Target:

Assessment Description:

Strategies/Activities:

Assessment for this portion will

1. An image depicting
consist of students analyzing images
Bolshevik propaganda will
verbally in the large group. Students
be displayed on the
will be required to contribute to a
screen.
discussion about the meaning and
2. Students will spend one
significance of certain pieces of
minute, silently examining
propaganda and link the images to
the primary source and
- Students will analyze primary what they know about the time
writing down observations
sources and discuss in the
period.
3. Students will be asked to
context of the historical time
share their observations
period being studied
Differentiated Assessment:
with the person they are
- Students will synthesize
sitting next to and
information about the Russian The analysis of the images will be
formulate an analysis of
Civil War to create and
scaffolded for students who do not
the image
support an argument
naturally think on their feet.
4. I will ask students to share
Students will be given the
analysis and discuss their
opportunity to write out their
thoughts with the class
Critical Vocabulary:
thoughts (this will help students who
5. Through discussion, the
struggle speaking in English) as well
class will come to a
as discuss their ideas in smaller
consensus on the meaning
Synthesize
groups before being asked to present
and implications of the
Primary Source
to the whole class. Additionally, as I
propaganda piece.
Secondary Source
see students struggling, I will provide
Evidence based argument guiding questions to help them reach Differentiated
a point of analysis.
Strategies/Activities:
HS2.HT.15 Interpretation and
Synthesis Analyze and synthesize
evidence obtained from historical
sources and secondary
interpretations to determine their
relationship.

Student Self-assessment:

In order to accommodate all

student personalities and
Students will self assess during this strengths, students will be given
segment of the class by checking the the opportunity to think through
analysis they came up with about
their analysis in several different
the propaganda images against the settings (individually, small
analysis their peers came up with in group, and large group
the small group discussion point of discussions). This will allow for
the lesson as well as the classroom students who need time to
discussion of the meaning and
process internally before answer
significance of the propaganda
questions posed to the group to
piece.
participate in class discussion as
well as allow for students who
benefit from large group
discussions to benefit.
Lesson Procedures

Media/Technologies/Resources:

a. Describe the sequence of strategies and activities you will use to engage students and accomplish your objectives
within this sequence.
1. Students will be given a brief introduction to class and the content being covered that day.
2. An image will be displayed on the screen, students will have one minute to examine image and write down what
they think it means as well as what they think the meaning is. They will then share their thoughts with the
students around them. Finally, the interpretation of the propaganda will be opened up for the class to discuss
3. I will deliver a lecture with PowerPoint about the course of the Russian Civil War and the causes of Bolshevik
success. During lecture, I will periodically pause to pose questions to the class in order to assess their
understanding.
4. I will display a Google Map I created of the Russian Civil War to help students better conceptualize the war.
5. Students will be asked to synthesize the information they have learned in a flaw chart that organizes the factors
contributing to Bolshevik success.
b. Describe the differentiated strategies designed to meet the identified strengths and needs of your students.
Differentiation in [primary source analysis comes from providing different opportunities to analyze the source as well as
question scaffolding when I observe students struggling with the content.
Differentiation occurs during the lesson on the Civil War through the distribution of typed out concepts and timeline for
students who need assistance in English as well as through the questions I pose the class during the lecture.
c. Identify the questions you will use to promote thinking and understanding.
what, when, and where of the instructional strategies and activities.

This section should outline the who,

Propaganda Analysis:
1. What message is the poster trying to convey?
2. How effectively is the message being conveyed?
3. How can we use this poster to make inferences about the attitudes of Reds and Whites during this time?
Lecture:
1.
2.
3.
4.

What do we know about Russia during this time that will help us understand why a civil war began?
Why was there very little foreign intervention in the Russian Civil War?
Why would not all Bolsheviks like Trotsky as the leader of the Red Army?
Why did the Reds win the war?

Communication With Students and Parents/Guardians

Describe how you plan to communicate learning results to students and parents/caregivers that provide a
clear and timely understanding of learning progress for lesson objectives.
As students spend time analyzing propaganda and completing their flowchart at the beginning and end of the
lesson, I will walk around the room, talking with students and making myself available for questions and further
explanation. This will allow students to have the opportunity for immediate feedback.
Progress will be immediately communicated during the class discussion of propaganda as well as during the
lecture when questions are posed to the class.
Time will be spent in the next class reviewing the flowchart activity so that students will be able to see their
understanding of the topic and formulating an argument.

RepresentationofFlowchartactivity: