Cast Your Vote!: Lesson 1
by Tina Richman
Resources
-Election Day by Margaret McNamara
-Election Day by Marc Tyler Nobleman
Teacher uses example in textbook while students view the whole class chart.
-Whiteboard and markers
-"The True Story of the Three Little Pigs By: A Wolf" by John Sieszka
Objectives
1. Participate in a mock class election voting for their favorite season by raising hands and for their favorite activity by secret ballot. (Blooms, Application)
2. Restate/write, define, use in a sentence and draw a picture of the vocabulary words vote and result into their vocabulary journals. (Blooms, Knowledge)
3. Imitate the -ice word family using phoneme segmentation and blending (Blooms, Application)
4. Give examples on how a voting process can work in class and in our society. (Blooms, Comprehend)
5. Relate the reasons that Election Day was picked and how similar reasons can be connected to their own lives. (Blooms, Analyze)
6. Design a campaign advertisement, Write a speech or write a newspaper front headline to show their support, predict, or sway a vote. (Blooms, Application, Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis)
Assessment
1. Individually vote for their favorite season and vote for their favorite activity in a private ballot
2. Show they understand the meaning of their two vocab words through using them in a sentence and drawing a picture.
3. Individually demonstrate that they understand phoneme segmentation and blending by using -ice words.
4. Individually give examples on how a voting process works in their classroom and their society/country.
5. Give one personal example in relation to why election day was picked on the specified day/time of year and/or how similar reasons can be connected to their own lives.
6. Design a personalized campaign, write a speech or write a newspaper headline from their point of view in an attempt to show support, convince others or try to sway others votes.
Standards
PA.R.1.1.2.H
> Demonstrate fluency in reading and answer comprehension questions based on material read.
PA.R.1.1.2.H.6
>--- Apply information and connections from reading.
PA.R.1.3
STANDARD: Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
PA.R.1.6.2.B
> Listen to a selection of literature (fiction and/or nonfiction).
PA.R.1.6.2.B.1
>--- Listen to a selection and classify similar experiences.
PA.SS.CG.5.3.3.F
__Explain what an election is.
Teaching Styles and Techniques
-Group work
-Individual work
-Phoneme segmentation and blending
-Making Connections: Text to Text, Self, and World
-Pair work
-Think Aloud
-Turn and Talk
-ELL student support integration
-Inclusion accomodations and modifications
-Differentiated Activity: Tiered by Challenge Level
Anticipatory Set
Time needed: 10 min
1. List on the board in four columns the four seasons.
2. Ask by raise of hands which is their favorite season and go over results.
3. Have another list on the board of four favorite activities to do: Playing outside, reading, playing on the computer, writing.
4. Pass out papers and tell students they will vote by checking off ONE item on their ballot for their favorite activity. Collect and go over results.
5. Discuss the difference between the two types of voting they just completed (open vote and secret ballot).
Purpose
The purpose of the activities today are for students to learn how voting impacts them in their classroom and as a country.
Procedure
Independant Reading
***Independant reading is done before this lesson***
Individual work
Time needed: 25 minutes
1. Select students to read to you individually to ensure that they are reading at their level
2. Have students record what they are reading on their reading logs.
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Vocabulary Journals
Individual work
Time needed: 20 minutes
1. List vocabulary words vote and result on the board. Discuss definition/using it in a sentence and what a picture of each word may look like.
2. Walk around and check for understanding.
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WORD STUDY
Phoneme segmentation and blending for the ice word family:
Group/Pair work
Time needed: 5 minutes
1. Gather the students as a group on the carpet.
2. Say the following to the students: The word is mice. Listen as I say each sound: /m/ /ice/ Let's blend the sounds together: m-ice. What is the word? (mice) Repeat with slice. Have the students work in pairs to segment and blend the sounds for price, twice, dice and nice. Review
***Inclusion Accommodation: The student(s) will have already been familiar with this activity) Have students use the Elkonin boxes in their "My Writing Practice Book" and counters. As the teacher says each sound the student moves a counter to each box (in left to right progression) They will have their discussion buddy sitting next to them if they need assistance. The student will then replace the counters with the appropriate letter-sound correspondence.
3. Connect sounds and symbols by using a small whiteboard and write ice on the board and say the letters i-c-e stand for long i and /s/. The e is silent. Write the word mice on the board and read it aloud. Have children read the word with you as you draw your finger under it. Ask a volunteer to circle the letters that stand for long i and /s/. Repeat using these words: slice, price, twice, dice, nice.
***Inclusion Accommodation: The student will circle the letters that stand for the long i and /s/ for each elkonin box word in their "My Writing Practice Book".
INTERACTIVE READING
Making Connections: Text to Text, Self, and World
Group/Pair/Individual work
Time needed: 45 minutes
1. Tell the students that you are going to read the story "Election Day". They are to give a thumbs up if they hear their vocab words (vote and result).
2. Ask the class:
-How did Becky become the class president?
-How was this voting process similar to the one we did in class?(ans. they had a secret ballot vote)
-How was it different? (ans. they did a secret vote by raising their hands with their heads down)
3. Connect to Prior Knowledge; The Bigger Picture:
Using the Whole Class Charts (pg. 74) ask:
-How does someone become President of the United States?
-What does each picture have to do with elections?
***Inclusion accomodation: For students who cannot focus on a chart for this activity have a duplicate picture of the whole class chart that students can manipulate while using a graphic organizer. If necessary have this available the day before and go over the activity with the student so they are prepared for the next day.
***ELL student support: Explain to children that the coordinating conjunctions and and or will be in the selection your about to read. Hold up some pens and pencils and say, Hector will buy pens and pencils. then say , Maria will buy pens or pencils. Lead children to understand that and in the firest sentence means Hector will buy both, and or in the second sentence means Maria will buy one or the other.)
4. Set the purpose for listening: Say: now that we know how elections can work in our classroom, let's read to find out about how Election Day works in our country. You will need to listen for facts that tell us how voting in the United States is done, how it has changed and how it has stayed the same.
***Inclusion accomodation: Have a copy of what you are to read and give to the student prior to the lesson so they can review the material and become familiar with it.
***For ELL student support: Have them use the Modeled Reading Text Organizer as you read. Read the word bank words and guide them in using those words and write them beneath their pictures.
5. After reading the section "How do people vote?" tell students to do a 'turn and talk' by telling each other if you would want your votes to be private. Explain why or why not. Have children share what their partners said and visa versa.
6. After reading "Why is Election day in November?" do a 'Think Aloud' having the students help out. The think aloud should go something like: From this part of the text, I learned that if farmers didn't plant and gather at the right time (September or October), they might not have had enough crops to sell to people. Since many farmers probably did not have much help on their farms they most likely did not have time to leave their farms to vote during most of the year. During the school year how do you feel about time and doing the things you have to do?
7. Do a turn and talk: Tell students to turn to their partner and tell them about a time when they were too busy to so something they wanted to do.
8. Review what they've learned about an election (in class and presidential election) the similiarities and differences.
9. Discuss what it means to vote (voting is a chance for them to speak up, share their opinion, and have their opinion counted as one of a whole group).
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WRITING WORKSHOP
Differentiated Writing Instruction
Group/Individual work
Time needed: 40 minutes or more
1. Review with the students that voting is a chance for them to speak up, share their opinion, and have their opinion counted as one of a whole group.
2. Ask them "Do you remember the story of the Three Little Pigs? and the story I read to you this morning? "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs By: A Wolf" but that book is the wolf's side of the story."
3. Ask: Do you believe the wolf's side of the story or the pig's side of the story? Tell them this will be a private ballot for voting. You will vote twice at the beginning of the activity and at the end. On both times you will vote on which character you believe- the pigs or the wolf and then you will complete an activity at your designated station. Have them vote. (they will check the character they voted for and write why)
4. Have 4 activity stations set up. (For these activities students will be grouped by ability.)
Station #1: Evaluation and Synthesis Level
Have these students do the following: Evaluate both stories (from the pigs point of view and the wolf) using the Different Perspectives graphic organizer. Then design a campaign advertisement that defends the character you believe in. You will use the campaign template and the picture of the character you support and put your answers on the specified template(refer to the campaign suggestions and the example campaign advertisement for help).
Station #2: Application and Analysis Level
Have these students do the following: Compare and Contrast the similiarities and differences between both stories (the pigs and the wolfs). They will use a Venn Diagram graphic organizer to help organize their thoughts.Write a newspaper front headline on who they predict to be the winner and why. Have a handout as a guide on how to create a front headline and one example of a front headline (Tell them when there is breaking news, news reporters sometimes print two possible outcome headlines...for example if they are waiting to see who has won the world series a reporter might create two separate headlines one announcing one team won and another announcing the other team won. The writers must be objective and compare/contrast both points of view. For their activity, however, they will compare and contrast both points of view, but they will only support one)
Station #3: Application and Analysis Level
Have these students do the following: Compare and Contrast the similiarities and differences between both stories (the pigs and the wolfs). Write a newspaper front headline on who they predict to be the winner and why. Have a handout as a guide on how to create a front headline and one example of a front headline (Tell them when there is breaking news, news reporters sometimes print two possible outcome headlines...for example if they are waiting to see who has won the world series a reporter might create two separate headlines one announcing one team won and another announcing the other team won.)
Station #4: Knowledge and Comprehension Level
Have these students do the following: Tell them they will pretend that they are their character and they just got a call from a local news station to be on t.v. They need to write a speech as if they were their character to convince the opposing people to believe in them. You will summarize what happen to you in the story and you will list at least 5 reasons why your characters' story is true. You will use the Storyboard organizer to help organizing your thoughts.
***Inclusion modification: For the lower ability student have them work with a partner while using a graphic organizer to organizer their thoughts. Have them record their voice (tape recorder or computer) so they can hear how they sound (fluency and choice of words).
***For ELL student support: Give them their own example of one of the activities. Model it with pictures and words. Allow them to record their voice to hear how they sound (fluency). They may also be paired with a partner for this activity.
5. Have students clean up 10 minutes before writing workshop ends and talk about what they learned. Tell them results will be given after each group has presented. (which will be done on another day)
6. Pick 2 people in each station to present (1 person from stations 2 and 3)
7. Have students vote again. (again they will check the character they voted for and write why) Tell them you may vote for the same character or change your vote. Have students get their "I voted" (wolf or piggy stickers)
8. Tally the votes and show them the results for the first votes and discuss why different people voted for their character. Show them the results for the second votes and discuss any changes, why or why not.
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