5th Grade Language Arts Lesson Plan

Teachers: 5^th Grade Social Studies Teacher

Subject Area: Social Studies, American Revolution and Language Arts

Grade Level: 5^th

Unit Title: The American Revolution

Lesson Title: Persuasive Writing

Overview: Students will examine the different sides of The American Revolution and select one viewpoint to write a persuasive essay about.

Connection to the Curriculum: In fifth grade, students study the American Revolution and focus on writing skills, specifically, persuasive writing.

Connection to Standards: English Language Arts Content Standards for California, Grade Five, Standard 2.0 Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics): Students write narrative, expository, persuasive, and descriptive texts of at least 500 to 700 words in each genre. Student writing demonstrates a command of standard American English and the research, organizational, and drafting strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1.0. 2.4 Write persuasive letters or compositions:

State a clear position in support of a proposal.

Support a position with relevant evidence.

Follow a simple organizational pattern.

Address reader concerns.

Materials/Equipment Required: Students will use a laptop from the school laptop cart to write their essays in class.

Objectives: Students will practice the art of persuasive writing, as well as learn more about the American Revolution.

Suggested Procedure: Students will select either the American or British vantage point in terms of the American Revolution, make a list of convincing points to support that viewpoint, prepare a sentence outline and then write a persuasive essay.

Opening: Teacher will introduce the lesson by sharing the book George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen From Both Sides (book review available at http://picturebooksforbigkids.blogspot.com/2011/06/george-vs-george-american-revolution-as.html) by Rosalyn Schanzer. Teacher will use a whiteboard or document camera and paper and pen to display a list of causes for the American Revolution. Teacher will add two columns, one labeled George Washington and one labeled King George. A class discussion can be used to generate each George’s point of view on the different causes of the war.

Development: Students will be asked to consider the class commentary on George and George, as well as information about the colonists and British viewpoints about the war presented in the class social studies textbook. Students will then select a side to write about in a persuasive essay.

Closing: Teacher will review format of persuasive writing. Students will first prepare a list of items to convey “their’ point of view, then write a sentence outline and finally, a persuasive essay with the goal of convincing readers that either the British or the colonists were right about the American Revolution.

Student Assessment: Student essays will be graded by the teacher based on inclusion of various elements of persuasive writing and demonstration of knowledge appropriate for grade five about the American revolution.

Extending the Lesson: Students can hold mini debates, verbally sparring with a classmate who has chosen the opposing viewpoint.

5th Grade Language Arts Lesson Plan

Teachers: Teacher Librarian / 5^th Grade Language Arts Teacher

Subject Area: Language Arts, Writing

Grade Level: 5th

Unit Title: Writing

Lesson Title: Women’s History Month: News Article

Overview: Students will write a news style article about an event featuring a famous American woman during March, Women’s History Month, after reading a biography about a famous American woman.

Connection to the Curriculum: In fifth grade, students study the roles of American women during the American Revolution and come to understand the role that women have played in their history. Fifth graders also work on their writing skills. This lesson will allow students to extend their learning about the role of women during the American Revolution to other time periods and provide an opportunity to practice writing about an important event.

Connection to Standards: English Language Arts Content Standards for California, Grade Five, Standard 2.0 Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics): Students write narrative, expository, persuasive, and descriptive texts of at least 500 to 700 words in each genre. Student writing demonstrates a command of standard American English and the research, organizational, and drafting strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1.0. Standard 2.3: Write research reports about important ideas, issues, or events by using the following guidelines:

Frame questions that direct the investigation.

Develop the topic with simple facts, details, examples, and explanations.

Establish a controlling idea or topic.

Time: Approximately 4 hours.

Materials/Equipment Required: Students will need access to iWork Pages or Microsoft Word for word processing (both programs are available at school). Students will also need 1 bibliography about a famous American woman.

Objectives: Students will learn how read for information and how to structure a news article using their research data. Students will learn to identify the importance of a particular historical event.

Suggested Procedure: Students should spend about 2 hours reading a short biography, gathering information, and identifying a single event involving their subject. Students will then write a news style article about the event featuring the famous American woman of their choice using their research data.

Opening: Teacher will introduce the assignment by sharing the book The Daring Nellie Bly, America’s Star Reporter (book review available at http://picturebooksforbigkids.blogspot.com/2011/06/daring-nellie-bly-americas-star.html) by Bonnie Christensen.

Development: Teacher will lead a discussion about the most significant contributions of Bly, asking students to consider what they learned about Bly from this story that would be newsworthy for a reporter during Bly’s time. Which one of Bly’s achievements would make a good news story? Teacher will introduce assignment to write a news story about something newsworthy accomplished by a famous American woman. Other examples might include suggesting a story about Amelia Earhart’s solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, a story about Elizabeth Blackwell becoming the first female U.S. doctor, etc.

Closing: Students will write a news style article featuring a famous American woman and can use a template in Microsoft Word or Pages to create a newspaper style format.

Student Assessment: Students will submit drafts of their news articles to the teacher for editing, then make revisions and turn in a final “story” to the teacher for “publication.”

Extending the Lesson: Teacher arranges for a local career woman to visit the class and share how other women have influenced her career decisions.