Teacher Candidate Lesson Planning Sheet
Urban Institute of Teacher Education
Teacher Name Jim Gritis
Grade Level 5th
Subject Social Studies
Date 11/25/19
Part One: Lesson Focus – “The What”
Early European Explorers
Content Objective:
What do I want my students to
know and be able to do?
Students will be able to ……
Standard :
What is the CCSS that
corresponds with this objective?
Language Objective:
What will my students do to
learn and/or demonstrate their
mastery of the lesson by
reading, speaking, writing, or
listening?
Assessment:
What assessments will I utilize
to determine that my students
have learned and met the
objective?
Materials and Resources:
What materials and resources
will I utilize to facilitate student
learning?
Students will be able to explain what they European explorers
discovered and why countries were interested in the discovery of
the Americas.
Standard 1: Objective 1: Describe and explain the growth and
development of the early American colonies.
• Using maps - including pre-1492 maps - and other
geographic tools, locate and analyze the routes used by
the explorers.
• Identify explorers who came to the Americas and the
nations they represented.
• Determine reasons for the exploration of North America
(e.g., religious, economic, political).
Students will be able to orally discuss what they learned about
their explorer as a group for the class.
Students will be able to create poster boards by writing
important facts about their explorer to present to the class.
The assessment will be the poster boards that each group
creates. Along with the poster board, you will be able to utilize
the graphic organizer (note page) that the students filled out
before creating their posters.
• Poster Boards
• Paper
• Pencils
• Coloring Utensils
• Laptops (research)
Part Two: Lesson Implementation – “The How”
Thinking Points: How will I teach to ensure learning for all students? How will I engage my
students in the learning process? How will I check for understanding throughout the lesson?
How will I make instructional adjustments for students that are in need of additional support?
Lesson Components with
Estimated Timeframe
Lesson Introduction:
5 minutes
How will I clearly communicate
the objective and purpose for
learning? How will I provide
background knowledge? How
will I “hook” the students?
Check for Understanding:
How will I know that all
students know the objective and
purpose of the lesson?
Instructional Strategy: Teacher
Modeling –“ I Do”
10 minutes
What will I say and do as I
demonstrate the demonstrated
the concept?
Check for Understanding:
How will I know that the
students have a clear
understanding of the concept?
Instructional Strategy: Guided
Practice – “We Do”
5 minutes
How will I engage my students
instructionally with the
concept?
Teacher Expectations: Student
Instructional Strategies/Activities/ Expectations
Questions
The lesson will be introduced through a Students are
short discussion around Christopher expected to raise
Columbus. The teacher will ask the class their hands to
what they know about Columbus before provide input, adding
talking about some of the misconceptions what they know as
surrounding common knowledge of they see fit.
Columbus. This will Segway into
introducing the idea that there were many
European Explorers that played a roll in
the discovery of the Americas.
The teacher will write the objective on the
board, highlighting the key factors that will
comprise their note page.
The teacher will demonstrate how they Students are
discovered their information on Columbus. expected to listen
They will show the class how they did and ask questions
research online, talking about what kinds when necessary.
of sites will provide good information and
what kinds will not.
(Good: biography.com, history.com,
Ducksters.com, etc.)
(Bad: Wikipedia.org, blog sites, etc.)
They will transfer the important
information to the note page (see
Addendum A).
The teacher will check by looking up
another famous explorer and letting the
students practice picking sites for their
research.
The teacher will have the students read a Students are
paragraph or two about Columbus. Then, expected to do their
students will recommend the pieces of best to select good
information that will help fill out the note websites and
page. information about
Columbus with the
teacher.
Instructional Strategy;
Independent Practice
35 minutes
How will I provide my students
with the opportunity to engage
in independent practice? What
will the students who have
finished early do?
Check for Understanding
How will I know that the
students have a clear
understanding of the concept?
Lesson Closure
5 minutes
How will I review and clarify the
concepts taught?
Students will be split into groups and given Students are
a laptop. They will work together in their expected to work
group to do research on their given diligently with their
explorer. As they fill out the note page, the groups on
teacher will wander the room and provide completing the note
help where needed. Once the note page is page and the poster
completed and checked off by the teacher, board, asking
the group will receive their poster board to questions when
complete their final draft (using pencil necessary.
first!) If time permits, present the projects
the same day. If not, present the projects
another day. Collect posters at end of
lesson.
The poster boards and note pages will be
wonderful tools to check for the students’
understanding.
Whether the poster boards have been Students are
presented or not, the teacher will lead a expected to
class discussion talking about the participate in the
importance of all the European explorers’ discussion where
contributions. they see fit.
Addendum A

Name: _______________________

Explorer: ___________________ Explorer Nation: ____________________

Reason(s) for Trip Across the Atlantic

Important Discoveries in the Americas (land, resources, food, etc.)

• ________________________________________

• ________________________________________

• ________________________________________

Fun Facts (at least two)