A Place in History: Famous Alabamians

1. A Place in History: Famous Alabamians Technology-Infused Lesson Plan Susan Miles November 2008

2. Lesson Demographics • Grade Level: Fourth Grade • Subject Area: Social Studies • Unit Topic : A Place in History: Famous Alabamians • Duraton of Unit: 6 Days Add a picture here.

3. Lesson Overview In this lesson, students will • identify and examine the lives of notable Alabamians who have made significant contributions on state and national levels. • will engage in Big6 research-based strategies to conduct research on their notable person, organize their information, and create and present their notable person to the class. Add a picture here. Add a picture here. Add a picture here.

4. Lesson Overview • Information Literacy Model • Big6 will be the information literacy model. Big6 is age-appropriate for fourth graders and will help students organize and synthesize information successfully from start to finish. • Technology Infusion • Students will use pictures and print to gather information as well as use the Big6 strategy to form questions and locate answers on a notable person from the State of Alabama. • Students will use the library catalog to locate reading and research materials in addition to using on-line resources to acquire information on their notable person. • Final projects will be presented in PowerPoint format. • Success of Unit and Lessons • Student assessment and evaluation of this lesson will take place with a rubric evaluating several factors including observation of student participation, student process of finding, analyzing, and recording information, student creation of PowerPoint, and group presentation to the class. • Teacher Collaboration • I will be collaborating with fourth grade teacher, Rachelle Agin. Rachelle is very familiar with the entire curriculum for fourth grade as she has been teaching for ten years. She will be able to identify skills and curriculum that can be integrated into the lesson to make it the best learning opportunity for the students. She also knows her students and can help integrate various learning styles to meet student needs.

5. Alabama Course of Study Standards EL (4) • 11. Read materials encountered in daily lives. • 13. Exhibit increased independence in selecting appropriate print and nonprint media • for a variety of purposes. • 19. Use appropriate reference sources for a variety of purposes. ELA (4) • 3. Use a wide range of strategies, including distinguishing fiction from nonfiction and • making inferences to comprehend fourth-grade literary/recreational materials in a • variety of genres. • 5. Use a wide range of strategies and skills, including using sentence structure, • locating information, and distinguishing fact from fiction, to comprehend fourth-grade • functional and textual/informational reading materials. • 8. Compose descriptive texts using an introductory paragraph, sensory details, vivid • language, and a conclusion. • 12. Organize information on a specific topic obtained from grade-appropriate reference • materials. • 13. Demonstrate eye contact, articulation, and appropriate voice intonation with • descriptive presentations.

6. Alabama Course of Study Standards IL (K-12) • 1.The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively. • 2.The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently. • 3.The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively. • SS (4) Alabama Studies • Identifying Alabamians who made contributions in the fields of science, education, the arts, the military, politics, and business during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries TC (3-5) • 1. Demonstrate optimal posture and position at the computer workstation. • 2. Communicate about technology using developmentally appropriate and accurate terminology. • 3. Use common input and output devices efficiently and effectively. • 11. Utilize general purpose productivity tools to facilitate learning throughout the curriculum. • 12. Use a variety of media and technology resources to create and communicate • knowledge products across the curriculum. • Use the Internet to locate information. • Determine appropriate keywords for finding information using a web search. • Evaluate the relevance and appropriateness of electronic information sources. • Relate search results to class or individual assignments. • Select appropriate technology tools and resources to address a variety of tasks and problems.

7. Learning Objectives • Primary Learning Objective (s): • Students will identify and learn about Alabamians who have made an impact either on a local, national, or world level. • Students will research a famous Alabamian and record the information. • Students will organize the information into a PowerPoint presentation. • Students will present the PowerPoint presentation to the class. • Additional Learning Objective(s): • Students will hone their research skills using both print and nonprint sources. • Students will learn to decipher between authentic and false information on the Internet. • Students will continue to develop appropriate speaking and presenting skills.

8. Lesson Resources Books • A Picture Book of Rosa Parks by David Adler • Rosa Parks: My Story by Rosa Parks • Rosa by Nikki Giovanni • Horace King: Bridges to Freedom by Faye Gibbons • Y is for Yellowhammer by Carol Crane • A Historical Album of Alabama by Charles Wills • World Almanac Encyclopedias • Any other Alabama biographies located either in the classroom, Alabama History Book, or media center Videos • Helen Keller • Daniel Pratt: Preservation of a Dream Web sites • Biography.Com http://www.Biography.com • Alabama Virtual Library http://www.avl.lib.al.us/ • Alabama Department of Archives and History Hall of Fame http://www.archives.state.al.us/famous/famous.html

9. Lesson Resources Materials and Equipment: • Fact Finding Sheet • List of notable Alabamians • Print Materials related to notable Alabamians Technology Resources Needed: • Computers with Internet access • PowerPoint Presentation Software • Laptop Computer with Internet access • LCD projector

10. Lesson Procedures: Day One • Day One’s activities will take place in the fourth grade classroom. • Engagement/Motivational Activity (15 minutes): To introduce the activity, students will be asked to brainstorm any famous Alabamians they know or have learned about so far in Alabama history. As students begin to answer, the names of the notable Alabamians will be written on the board as well as on a slip of paper. • Students will receive partners for this assignment. The slips of paper will be placed into a hat and students will draw the name of the person they will be researching. • Students will then receive a Fact Finding Sheet where they will be instructed to think about and record any questions they want to research about their notable person. Students can use their Alabama History textbooks to help formulate questions about their person.

11. Lesson Procedures: Day Two • Day Two’s activities will take place in the library media center. • Students will be given a biography form indicating the type of information they should try to find about their famous Alabamian. Students will be looking for this following information but can also include any other information: birth, early education, family life, career/job, and major contribution to Alabama or United States history. Students will use print biographies pulled by the library media specialist as well as Internet Web sites to find answers to their questions about their notable person. • Using Web sites like Biography.com, the Alabama Virtual Library, and the Alabama Department of Archives and History, students will record their information on their biography forms. They will refer to their Fact Finding Sheet and the questions they formulated on Day One as well. • Students will be required to write down the source of information when recording their facts. • The library media specialist and collaborating teacher will be on hand to help as necessary.

12. Lesson Procedure: Day Three • Day Three’s activities will take place in the library media center. • Students will continue to research their famous Alabamian using a variety of resources. • On this day, they will be able to complete their research and prepare for transferring their information into PowerPoint format.

13. Lesson Procedures: Day Four • *This lesson acknowledges that these students have had previous experience in developing a PowerPoint presentation. • Day Four’s activities will take place in the library media center. • Students will begin using Microsoft PowerPoint to create their presentations about their famous Alabamian. • Computers will consist of desktop and wireless types to make sure there is enough computers for each student. • Students will select from a variety of layouts and begin writing their text and documenting their sources. • Students must have a minimum of six slides, including the title slide. They can include pictures and other clip art.

14. Lesson Procedures: Day Five • Day Five’s activities will take place in the library media center. • Students will complete work on their PowerPoint slides and will prepare for presenting their PowerPoint to the class. • Students will save their PowerPoint to a CD or USB drive provided by the library media specialist.

15. Lesson Procedures: Day Six • Day Six’s activities will take place in the classroom. • Students will use the LCD projector and laptop computer to present their PowerPoint presentation to the class. • Students will turn in their Fact Finding Sheets to show their research process.

16. Assessment Rubrics • Students will be assessed through a rubric evaluating several factors including observation of student participation, student process of finding, analyzing, and recording information, student creation of PowerPoint, and presentation to the class. • Please examine the rubrics you have been given.

17. A Place in History: Famous Alabamians Technology-Infused Lesson Plan Susan Miles November 2008