LESSON 1: The Beginning of a Movement: The Origins of

American Public Schools

Teachers Name: Ms. Alyssa K. McLean
Grade Level: 11

Date of Lesson: February 23-25, 2016

Topic: Origins of Public Schools in America

Learning Objectives
Objective: Students will examine the creation of the public school and its original purpose
during the 1850s - 1900 to keep children out of factories and create a more educated workforce.
Students will understand that: (LG1) American public schools have been evolving since their
creation in the 1850s as the understanding of the purpose of public education changes with each
generation.
Students will know: Puritan education systems, Horace Mann, Education in Massachusetts, Rise
of factories, expanding wealth disparities, supposed decrease of morals in 1800s, The Common
School Movement.
Students will be able to: Examine the reasons behind the creation/design of public schools and
the mandate that all children attend them up to a certain age.
Assessments
Pre-Assessment: The History of Schools: Education Reform Pre-Assessment survey
pertaining to the learning goals of the unit. The assessment consists of four questions that are
directly taken from my three learning goals. Based on students answers to these questions, I will
gain a perspective on how much they already understand about the learning goals and what
unanticipated topics I may have to spend more time uncovering.
Formative: ChalkBoard Splash to the question: What was the first public school like? As a class
we will talk about how their drawings were similar or different from the reality of the first public
schools. This will show me what they have learned throughout the lesson as a snapshot of the
entire class on the board. If there are key elements to the educational reform and the design of
the first schools that are missing, I will be able to then lead class discussion to fill this gap in
comprehension. The Decision Tree Graphic organizer will allow me to see what students are
taking in as we move through the lesson and make sure that they understand the connections
between new problems in 1800s society that led to the formation of nationwide public schools.
Summative: Write an opinion article for a newspaper in the late 1800s that either supports or
argues against the creation of public schools. (Use 3 historical examples as evidence to back up
your argument.) This will be assessed with a rubric by the teacher and a student checklist.
Through arguing in writing for or against education reform as a character from the 1800s,
students will show that they understand the reasonings for the educational reform that occurred
well enough to not only explain it in writing but also use the events to create their own
opinion/argument on the situation.

Through each form of assessment, I will gain a clear understanding of what my students
have learned and what I may need to recover as I move on to the next lessons, as well as what
students may already know about future lesson objectives.
STANDARDS (use Common Core, Maine Learning Results, Next Generation Science
Standards, Schools Standards, ISTE Standards Students or combination)
Understands the major US social, political, and economic reforms on a society during specific
time period. (SS.02.HSR.01.02)
Rationale
This lesson will reach this stated learning target because it will discuss the impacts of all three
types of reform throughout the 1800s through the lens of Education Reform. Students will finish
the lesson knowing that in this time period there were major shifts in social behaviors, political
actors, and means of production affecting the economy that led the citizens of the time to feel
that an educational reform was necessary.
Integration of Other Content Areas
English/Journalism is incorporated into this lesson because students will be putting themselves in
the shoes of the reformers in the 1800s and writing an opinion article on the educational reform
of the time. Students will have to use their knowledge of persuasive/argumentative writing as
well as the proper incorporation and citation of sources in their articles. This skills also are most
likely learned in their required English classes or in a Journalism elective that is offered at EL.
Instructional Strategies to Differentiate Instruction
This lesson provides multiple strategies for students to uncover the purpose of the first
public schools in America. Many visual aids/activities are provided in this lesson because most
of this class indicated in an earlier survey that they are visual-spatial learners. For this purpose,
this lesson focuses on trying to literally paint a picture of what the first schools in America
would look like from drawing what they imagine as a hook and together writing the reality of the
first schools on the board. However, this lesson also can be appealing to linguistic students in the
classroom because of the reading and writing activities that will take place throughout. Since all
students possess some manifestation of the 8 multiple intelligences, designing for linguistic and
visual-spatial learners will reach most students, however, the lesson is also varied so students
process information through discussion, persuasive writing, drawing on paper and on the board,
and through inner reflection of the reforms of the time.
Technology will be used to help students navigate the lesson, such as using my website
that will have all of the class notes and activities posted on it. Technology is also used to
accomplish the pre-assessment for the entire unit and to uncover the content through reading an
online article. However, the product (summative assessment) for the lesson does not have to be
realized in a technological form. This is by design because students have indicated to me that
they sometimes enjoy using technology in the classroom but other times they feel that it is relied
upon too heavily. They believed that it sometimes gets in the way of their own learning. For this
reason the summative assessment will be an opinion article that they write themselves and they

can choose to type it or hand write the assignment. Since I am assessing their understanding of
the origins of public schools in America and the beginning of the Education Reform, I do not
mind which form their demonstration of learning comes to me in.
Modifications/Accommodations/Extensions
Absence: If students are absent during this lesson, they may go to my website under their
class tab and read the description of the lesson as well as the notes that were taken and any
electronic activities. For the activities that were not possible to post on the site, students should
seek out me, Mr. Latuscha, or Mr. Closson to find out what they missed. If they were absent for
the second half of the lesson in which the summative assessment was explained, students should
contact me as soon as possible to find out the expectations and due date for the assessment.
IEP Accommodations:
Student A: Since this student requires accommodations surrounding organization
I will make sure that all directions/expectations regarding activities in the classroom as well as
the summative assessment are clearly explained and available on my website so they may have
access to the directions at any time. This student also has difficulty staying on task so I will
observe them during the lesson and redirect them if I feel they are no longer paying attention or
if I have lost them in one way or another. I can do this through asking if they have an opinion on
the discussion going on or if they would like to volunteer to read the article out loud on the first
day (but of course never pushing or demanding that they read out loud if they do not feel
comfortable.)
Student B: This student needs help learning skills of self-control/monitoring in
regards to distraction. Therefore, I will make it clear that I do not allow cell phones to be out
during the lesson and I will enforce this rule. However, if the cell phone is the distraction for this
student, I will allow them time on their own first to realize they need to get off their phone and if
they still do not I will ask them to put it away. This will give them a chance to realize they are
causing their own distractions and put it away on their own. I will also be sure to engage them in
the discussion by asking them for an answer to a question or for their opinion on the topic being
discussed. This student also requires the information to be presented in multiple ways so they can
fully understand the topic at hand. This lesson should be beneficial for them since we will
examine the origins of American Public schools through drawing their preconceived ideas on the
first schools; reading an article on this topic; having a class discussion about the article and other
reasons for the emergence of schools; taking notes on the topic with a graphic organizer; actively
writing ideas/descriptions of the first public school on the board in the chalkboard splash; and
finally through writing an opinion article that will make students put themselves in the shoes of
the reformers of the time. Throughout the time given in class to work on the summative
assessment, I will check with the student to see that they have a clear action plan of how to
accomplish the task on time and effectively with little distractions.
Student C: This student lives with autism and therefore needs a very clear
classroom routine and plenty of processing time when answering questions. Since this is the first
lesson that I will be entirely in charge of the classroom, I will be sure to explain my expectations
of the students very clearly. I will also have an agenda for the class period written on the board
so it is clear what will happen throughout the morning. When I ask students questions, I will wait
before immediately calling on students so everyone has time to process the question. Most
people need at least thirty seconds to consider a question and form an answer so I will keep this
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in mind during the class discussion as well as knowing that for this student they might need even
longer than this time. However, this student is always very engaged in the class discussion and I
know he/she will excel in this lesson.
Student D: This student needs assistance with keeping pace with the rest of the
class. Their accommodations explain that she needs classroom notes to be provided for her, a
clear understanding of expectations and directions given, and help breaking down large tasks into
smaller steps. For these reasons, I believe the website will be very helpful for this student
because all of the class notes will be provided there. My explanation of my own expectations
will help this student be prepared for what is expected of them as I teach this unit. The rubric
provided will also allow the student to see exactly what they will be assessed on in the
summative assessment. The checklist for the summative assessment and the agenda written on
the board should help this student see the breakdown of these tasks into smaller activities.
Student E: This student needs assistance with staying attentive and on task as well
as with organization. As with other students that have similar needs, I will be sure to engage
them through questioning and incorporation. I will also be checking up with them during in class
time for the summative assessment to be sure they understand what is expected of them and that
they are organized. The checklist for the summative assessment should also help them stay
organized and on task while they complete the assignment.
Materials, Resources and Technology
-Paper
-Pencils/pen
-iPads
-Decision Tree Graphic Organizer
-URL for my website ready for students to copy down
Sources for Lesson Plan and Resources
-http://people.howstuffworks.com/public-schools1.htm
-http://www.pbs.org/onlyateacher/horace.html
-http://www.educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/american-publiceducation-an-origin-story/
-https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/first-age-reform/essays/education-reformantebellum-america
Common Core Teaching Standards and Rationales
Standard #1: Learner Development
-1a. Regularly assesses individual and group performance in order to design and modify
instruction to meet learners needs in each area of development and scaffolds the next level of
development.
-Rationale: This lesson opens with a pre-assessment survey all the students take
during class. This pre-assessment will be used to gauge what understanding of Education Reform
students already have and inform me of what I need to cover as I go forward with this lesson.
Other assessments such as formative (chalkboard splash and decision tree graphic organizer) and

summative assessments (opinion article) are used in this lesson to determine what students are
understanding and what information needs to be recovered.
-1b. Creates developmentally appropriate instruction that takes into account individual
learners strengths, interests and needs and that enables each learner to advance and accelerate
his/her learning.
-Rationale: Prior to this lesson, the students completed a KWL chart where they
could write down what they would like to know about Education reform as well as what they
already knew. I used these charts in designing the topics that would be covered in this unit and
this lesson.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
-2h. Understands students exceptional learning needs (both disabilities and giftedness)
and knows how to use strategies and resources to serve these needs.
-Rationale: This lesson is designed so each student has multiple opportunities to
show what they know in different forms. Many students in this class requires more in class
support and processing time and these opportunities have been worked into the lesson to help the
students succeed. On the other hand, the lesson also provides students with extra reading if they
would like to dig deeper into the content.
Standard #4 Content Knowledge
- 4g. Uses supplementary resources and technologies effectively to ensure accessibility to
and relevance to all learners.
- Rationale: This lesson effectively uses an online article on the early history of
schools in America to help students uncover the information from this lesson. For
learners who retain information better through reading, they may use the article
later at home, or they may volunteer to read in class. However, for those who
prefer to listen, they may listen to the article being read by the class during the
lesson.
Standard #6 Assessment
-6j. Understands the differences between formative and summative applications of
assessment and knows how and when to use each.
-Rationale: This lesson includes two different formative assessments; the
collaborative learning technique called chalkboard splash and the decision tree graphic
organizer. Both of these will be done in class and used for me to gain an understanding of what
the students know and understand throughout the lesson. These are not to be graded in anyway
for correctness. The summative assessment which is the opinion article will be graded because it
is an opportunity for students to show what they have learned from the entire lesson.
Standard #11 Technology (ISTE Standards)
- 2a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and
resources to promote student learning and creativity.
- Rationale: This lesson uses technology in very different ways throughout. First,
technology is used for the pre-assessment because it comes in the form of a
google form. Next, students will use their iPads to follow along as the class reads
an online article together. Finally, students may use their iPads if they would like
to type their summative assessment as opposed to writing it.
Teaching and Learning Sequence:

What: Students will understand the origins of the American Public Education system as
well as the fact that this reform was influenced by many other social, economic, and political
reforms of the time. This directly relates to the learning goal (American public schools have been
evolving since their creation in the 1850s as the understanding of the purpose of public education
changes with each generation) and to the learning target (Understands the major US social,
political, and economic reforms on a society during specific time period. (SS.02.HSR.01.02)).
Why: The content of this lesson is important for students to understand because they have
been impacted by these reforms directly throughout their own schooling experience and, as
citizens, they will have a say in the progression of our current educational reform. Understanding
the background of the foundation of our nations public schools brings clarity and perspective to
former and current educational reforms and therefore the educational experience the students
have experienced themselves.
How:
Day 1:
-(5 minutes) My expectations for them/outline of what is going to happen for the rest of the
quarter. and Introduction to my website
-(5 to 10 minutes)Pre-Assessment Survey
-(5 minutes) Hook: Draw what you think the first school looked like.
-(50 minutes) Discussion on the origins of schools/first mandatory public schools in America
-Fill in Graphic organizer as we go
-Write the reforms to public schools and what aspect of schools each reason led to
as the outcome.
-Together we will read the article about the first schools in America.
-(10 minutes) Recommendations
Day 2:
-(5 minutes) ChalkBoard Splash - What was the first public school like?
-(10 minutes) Discussion about ChalkBoard Splash - Is what the first mandatory public school
was actually like what you drew in your picture before you knew anything about it? Why do you
think they are similar? Why do you think they are different?
-(5 minutes) Questions about the first public schools so far?
-(60 minutes) Introduction of Opinion Article Assignment/time to work on the project.
Reflection
As we discussed in the post conference, your lesson went well and I am eager to see the follow
up lesson. The students, from what you tell me, were engaged at a higher level than previously. I
thought the conception and delivery was great. Your classroom management was well in order,
as I did not see anyone out of control or manipulating the attention of others in a great way. I
think that as you get more comfortable with the group and managing them all yourself, you will
find ways to tag them for attention. Well done.
I am very impressed with how this lesson turned out! I began the lesson by writing the
agenda for the class on the board. Next, to get this group comfortable and prepared for me to be

leading the class most of the time for the remainder of the quarter, I explained to them what my
expectations were for them and what we will be doing for the next few weeks. I explained that it
was very important for them to be keeping all of the notes/graphic organizers that we will be
using in each lesson because these will help them when it is time to do the final project at the end
of the unit. I was very impressed because all of the students gave me their undivided attention for
this part of the lesson. Even one student that is usually on their phone throughout the entire class
put it away and turned it off because I explained that I found it very rude when students are on
their phones while Im teaching. I took this as a huge sign of respect.
Throughout the entire lesson I was very impressed by how actively engaged most of the
students were. I felt that I expected a lot from this class because we had to accomplish the preassessment, introduce my website and how will use it, get used to my teaching style, and get
through a long article on new, dense information. They did really well and even showed their
understanding through asking questions, sharing stories about connections they made from this
time period and our own time, and volunteering to read. When I noticed that students were
drifting off or losing focus, I tried to move around more, ask questions, or pause to write down
notes on the graphic organizer. If a student looked like they were falling asleep, I would move
closer to them or incorporate them by name into the discussion in one way or another. I mostly
checked to see that they were understanding and comprehending the information through making
eye contact to evaluate if they look confused or interested.
I made changes to the lesson during the middle of instruction at times. I had not planned
on having all students write exactly the same notes on the graphic organizer as what I put up on
the board but I could tell as I went on that what I thought were obvious causes for the origins of
educational reform that should could be included on the chart, students did not always
automatically catch their importance. Once I noticed this, I drew the chart on the board and
began working through the process of narrowing down what should be included outloud with the
students. At the end of the lesson, we worked together to determine what the outcomes of each of
these reforms were. I also decided to omit some of the finer details about the progressive era
because I was afraid that the students would be unengaged and shut down if I made matters too
complex. I felt that we covered exactly what we needed to for the students to be able to clearly
meet the first learning target.
In the post conference, Linda told me that the moment when I had absolutely everyones
attention was when I talked about my grandmothers schooling experience. She said that it is a
very powerful instructional strategy to connect my life or the students lives to the material. I
was surprised by this because I knew that they had been listening in that moment but I had no
idea that what I was doing was so powerful. This is something I just naturally do because it is
how my brain works and I really enjoy sharing my familys stories because they mean a lot to
me. Now that I know this is actually a strategy and that it works very well for students, I will not
hold back if I feel that there is a story I could share. I also believe this strategy makes students
comfortable to share their own stories which will add to the culture of the class.
Based on the results from the pre-assessment, I learned that many students know that
schools have changed and evolved; they have influenced reform; and in away they have affected
their own educational experience, but they dont know specifically how all of these events
happened. In regards to the first learning target (how have schools evolved since the 1800s),
many students focused on the fact that we use technology in the classroom much more now.
They did not necessarily think of the way that teaching styles have evolved and the many
political struggles that have happened throughout the history of American public schools.

The second learning goal (education Reform has been both the result and the cause of
social, political, and economic changes in society) seemed to be the one that I will need to
address most heavily because many students had no knowledge of this at all. One student knew
that factories had a huge impact on the first public schools in America. Another student knew
that schools can influence society through teaching history inaccurately which paints a different
picture than what happened in reality.
As for the final learning goal, many students admitted that they didnt know how
education reform has affected their own lives. Again, many students noted an increase in
technology use in schools during their lifetime and one mentioned that in order to work it is
essential to have a diploma. I am excited to see what how they will answer these questions by the
end of the unit because I know I will make them think about schools in ways they never have
considered before. I will be very interested to see how their answers to learning goal one will
change once they understand just how much schools have changed since their origins.
Overall, I am very impressed with how the lesson went. One aspect that I would change
about this lesson if I were to do it again would be to make it more actively engaging since I feel
like it was too close to a lecture and students sat for most of the time. I will keep this in mind as I
design the future lessons in this unit.