Progressive Era

By: Chelsea Miller

Lesson One

Lesson Components
Identification of the
Class
Virginia Standards of
Learning

Description
Subject: History
Grade: 6
Number of Students: 20
Provide number and criterion
Virginia Content SOL:
SOL: Reshaping the Nation and the Emergence of Modern
America: 1877 to the Early 1900s
USII.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of how life
changed after the Civil War by
b)
explaining the reasons for the increase in
immigration, growth of cities, new inventions, and
challenges arising from this expansion;
c)
describing racial segregation, the rise of Jim Crow,
and other constraints faced by African Americans and other
groups in the post-Reconstruction South;
e)
describing the impact of the Progressive Movement
on child labor, working conditions, the rise of organized
labor, womens suffrage, and the temperance movement.
Virginia Technology SOL:
Technology Communication Tools
C/T 6-8.13
Communicate effectively with others
(e.g., peers, teachers, experts) in collaborative
learning situations.
A.
Use technology tools for individual and
collaborative writing, communication, and
publishing activities.

Use various technology resources to develop
written and media-based reports and projects,

Lesson Objectives

integrating technologies as appropriate.

B.
Participate in communications among
different cultures.

Understand the need to place communication
in the context of culture.
C.
Assume different roles (e.g., leader/follower,
orator/listener) on teams in various situations.

Use technology to complete a wide variety of
tasks when working in teams, depending on the
individuals group role.
List the objectives that your students will complete to
accomplish this activity
The students will
Respond to a journal prompt What does equality mean
to you? with the help of a word map to generate ideas
Participate in a class discussion after the journal
Watch a video about life in the late 1800s-early 1900s
and make connections to life now

Big Idea (statement) and

essential question
(question that helps us
learn the content for
understanding how or
why questions)
Procedures

Big idea: Why were certain groups given less rights and
how did they work to change that? Why was this important?

I will try to have students put themselves in anothers shoes

one hundred years ago. The groups we will be focusing on
will be immigrants, women, African Americans and child
laborers. Students will see that some of them fit in these
categories and will start to make connections as to why this
era in history was so important. After the journal, class
discussion, and video, we will conclude the class with the
key ideas and terms, and clarify any questions as the project
the students will be working on will start the next class
period.
Assessment &
Evaluation

Can you compare and contrast the life of a woman,

African American, immigrant, or child laborer to the
lives of these groups now? What is still the same?
What is different?
Encourage active participation in class discussion

Materials & Resources

Think-pair-share about journals and different ideas

Smart board or projector to watch video

Journal for every student

Management

I will ensure students are working diligently and effectively

on their journal assignment. I will encourage participation in
the class discussion as everyones ideas and valuable. I will
check for understanding by walking around, asking
questions, and have students share their ideas with each
other before they are asked to share them in front of the
class.

Differentiation

The word map at the beginning of the unit with the journal
entry will hopefully help learners who need a visual to
generate ideas. This will also be great for my ELLs who
may not have the vocabulary needed for the journal activity
just yet. The think-pair-share activity will be great for
students who may need a little more help by their peers and
ensure everyone is on the same page.

Lesson Two

Lesson Components
Identification of the
Class
Virginia Standards of
Learning

Lesson Objectives

Description
Subject: History
Grade: 6
Number of Students: 20
Provide number and criterion
Virginia Content SOL:
See above
Virginia Technology SOL:
See above
List the objectives that your students will complete to
accomplish this activity
The students will
Get into groups of the population they wish to research
more (women, African Americans, Immigrants, and
child laborers)
Research their group in a web inquiry and what life was
like for them during the late 1800s-early 1900s
Work collaboratively with their peers to determine the
most important information for their presentation
Answer the question, Why does my group deserve
equality?

Big Idea (statement) and

essential question
(question that helps us
learn the content for
understanding how or
why questions)
Procedures

Why didnt my group have equality?

Why do they deserve equality?

How can I demonstrate this information in a

coherent manner?

Materials & Resources

Based on previous lessons, discussions, and an

assignment sheet, students will understand what is
expected of them
Giving students the laptops and have them find the
resources and websites they want to use to present
their findings allows them to take control of their
learning process and keep them engaged
Students will do research based on the guiding
questions and begin to determine what is important
and what is not while working collaboratively with
their peers in their groups
This is a lesson where I will be the guide, but they
will be in charge of the research they conduct
I will be available to the students throughout the
class to ensure everyone understands their role and
what they are to be working on
I will check to make sure the information they are
finding does in fact answer the questions needed for
the presentation
One laptop for every student

Management

I will ensure students are remaining on task and are

only using the computers for the tasks at hand. They
will know what is expected of them and that they
must be working diligently and effectively together
as a group to complete the project in the one week
time span.

Differentiation

I will provide extra support and resources to students

as needed. Some students may want to research their
topic in their native language to get a deeper, more
thorough understanding. The laptops will provide
these students with these types of opportunities.

Assessment &
Evaluation

Lesson Three

Lesson Components
Identification of the
Class
Virginia Standards of
Learning

Lesson Objectives

Description
See above lessons
Provide number and criterion
Virginia Content SOL:
See above lessons
Virginia Technology SOL:
See above lessons
List the objectives that your students will complete to
accomplish this activity
The students will

Continue to research on the laptops for the first half of

the class

Big Idea (statement) and

essential question
(question that helps us
learn the content for
understanding how or
why questions)

Organize their research from the previous lesson and put

together a visual to present to the rest of the class that
answers the question, Why does my group deserve
equality?
Find images to make the visual look appealing and well
put together as a group

Procedures

Assessment &
Evaluation

Materials & Resources

Management

What is the most important information you

discovered? Why is this the most important?
How will you organize this information to present to
the class?
How will you divide the work amongst your group?
How can you create a visual that will support your
ideas throughout your presentation?
Students will continue to research where they left off
from the previous lesson
Once again, this will be hands off and giving
students the independence to make creative decisions
amongst their group on how they best see to present
their information
I will ask questions such as, How is this
important? Why does this relate? to ensure
students are on task and understand what they should
be doing
Students will be working in groups to clear any
confusion amongst themselves
One laptop for every student as needed
Art supplies for visual (poster board, markers,
crayons, scissors, glue, etc.)
Printer for printing images
Again, I will ensure students are using their time
wisely and are dividing group work fairly amongst
themselves.

Differentiation

The laptops will once again be a platform for ELLs

to participate in the best way they can
Kinesthetic and visual learners will work to create
the visual for the presentation
Students will divide work based on their learning
styles and abilities

Lesson Four

Lesson Components
Identification of the

Description
See above lessons

Class
Virginia Standards of
Learning

Lesson Objectives

Big Idea (statement) and

essential question
(question that helps us
learn the content for
understanding how or
why questions)
Procedures

Provide number and criterion

Virginia Content SOL:
See above lessons
Virginia Technology SOL:
See above lessons
List the objectives that your students will complete to
accomplish this activity
The students will
Complete their visuals and put together final touches for
presentation
Present their findings to the class about their particular
group in a 5-10 minute presentation
Listen to other groups presentation to tie the big idea
together
Come together as a class to discuss what they learned

Does your visual match what your group will be

presenting?
How will you present this information?

Why is what you are presenting important?

Students will finish printing and organizing their

images for the visual aspect of the project
Students will have the freedom to organize the
visual any way they see fit as long as it helps them
answer the questions
Students will see the importance of the work of
these various groups and how life would be very
different had it not been for them
Students will present their findings to the rest of the
class

Assessment &
Evaluation

A class discussion at the end to clarify any

misunderstandings and bring the whole unit together
Why is this person/fact important?
Why did you choose this image?
Can you compare and contrast the lives of these
groups then and now?

Materials & Resources

Printer
Art supplies
Laptops

Management

Students will finish their projects knowing they will be

presenting the same day. As other groups are presenting, I
will ensure students are focused by having them take notes
throughout each presentation about key facts and ideas,
something new they learned, a question they have, etc.

Differentiation

Students have been given the freedom to organize their

groups in a way that works for the particular learners and
learning styles in their groups.