Teachers’ Names: Helen-Anne Cafferty, Mary Woodruff

Grade Level(s): Four

Content Area(s): Social Studies

Unit/Project Title: Vermont History

1. How did people influence change in Vermont over time?

2. How did historical events influence change in Vermont over time?

Content Standards:

Grade Expectations: H&SS3-4:1 Students initiate an inquiry by…

• Asking relevant and focusing questions based on what they have seen, what they have read, what they have listened to, and/or what they have researched (e.g., Why was the soda machine taken out of the school? Why is the number of family farms in Vermont growing smaller?).

H&SS3-4:2 Students develop a hypothesis, thesis, or research statement by…

• Using prior knowledge to predict results or proposing a choice about a possible action (e.g., using experience from a field trip to the nature center, propose a way to preserve Vermont’s natural habitats).

H&SS3-4:3 Students design research by…

• Identifying resources for finding answers to their questions (e.g., books, videos, people, and the Internet).

• Identifying tasks and how they will be completed, including a plan for citing sources (e.g., I will interview the principal about why the soda machine was taken out of the school).

• Planning how to organize information so it can be shared.

H&SS3-4:4 Students conduct research by…

• Referring to and following a plan for an inquiry.

• Locating relevant materials such as print, electronic, and human resources.

• Describing evidence and recording observations using notecards, videotape, tape recorders, journals, or databases (e.g., taking notes while interviewing the principal).

• Citing sources.

H&SS3-4:5 Students develop reasonable explanations that support the research statement by…

• Organizing and displaying information in a manner appropriate to the research statement through tables, graphs, maps, dioramas, charts, narratives, and/or posters.

• Classifying information and justifying groupings based upon observations, prior knowledge, and/or research.

• Using appropriate methods for interpreting information such as comparing and contrasting.

H&SS3-4:6 Students make connections to research by…

• Explaining the relevance of their findings to the research question.

• Proposing solutions to problems and asking other questions.

• Identifying what was easy or difficult about following the research plan.

H&SS3-4:7 Students communicate their findings by…

• Giving an oral, written, or visual presentation that summarizes their findings.

H&SS3-4:8 Students connect the past with the present by…

• Explaining differences between historic and present day objects in Vermont, and identifying how the use of the object and the object itself changed over time (e.g., evaluating how the change from taps and buckets to pipelines has changed the maple sugaring industry). i

• Describing ways that life in the community and Vermont has both changed and stayed the same over time (e.g., general stores and shopping centers).

• Examining how events, people, problems and ideas have shaped the community and Vermont (e.g., Ann Story’s role in the American Revolution). i

H&SS3-4:9 Students show understanding of how humans interpret history by…

• Identifying and using various sources for reconstructing the past, such as documents, letters, diaries, maps, textbooks, photos, and others. i

• Differentiating among fact, opinion, and interpretation in various events. i

H&SS3-4:10 Students show understanding of past, present, and future time by…

• Grouping historical events in the history of the local community and state by broadly defined eras.

• Constructing time lines of significant historical developments in the community and state, and identifying the dates at which each occurred.

• Interpreting data presented in time lines. I

• Measuring calendar time by days, weeks, months, years, decades, and centuries (e.g., How old is your town?).

• Making predictions and/or decisions based on an understanding of the past and the present (e.g., What was farming in Vermont like in the past? What is it like now? What will it be like in the future?). i

• Identifying an important event in their communities and/or Vermont, and describing a cause and an effect of that event (e.g., Excessive rain caused the flood of 1927, and as a result communication systems have changed to warn people.).

H&SS3-4:12 Students show understanding of human interaction with the environment over time by…

• Describing how people have changed the environment in Vermont for specific purposes (e.g., clear–cutting, sheepraising, interstate highways, farming, ski resorts). i

• Identifying and participating in ways they can contribute to preserving natural resources (e.g., creating a class or school recycling center). i

• Describing a community or state environmental issue (e.g., creating a slide show describing the environmental issues surrounding Lake Champlain).

• Describing how patterns of human activities (for example, housing, transportation, food consumption, or employment) relate to natural resource distribution (e.g., how population concentrations in Vermont developed around fertile lowlands, French/English/Indian conflict for furs in northern Vermont.) i

• Recognizing patterns of voluntary and involuntary migration in Vermont (e.g., use maps and place names to hypothesize about movements of people). i

IT Vermont GEs

IT3-4:5 Students demonstrate use of technology for research by… Digital Resources

• Accessing information from a workstation, LAN or Internetbased electronic encyclopedia.

• Using multiple resources including:

  • Library catalog

  • Electronic resources

  • Internet web pages

Searching & Search Engines

• Preparing a search off–line using a teacher–prepared form/strategy.

• Using a search engine predetermined by the teacher, implementing the search strategy developed and locating pertinent information.

Browser

• Navigating to various websites by typing a URL into a browser or using a list of links identified by the teacher.

• Navigating using forward, back, home, and refresh.

• Using hyperlinks to navigate the world wide web.

Problem Solving and Decision Making

• Identifying decisions made (e.g. representing data, formatting, criteria for search, visual rganizer). Example: What key words did you use in your internet search?

21^st Century Skills

Critical thinking and problem solving

Collaboration across networks and leading by influence

Agility and adaptability

Initiative and entrepreneurialism

Effective oral and written communication

Assessing and analyzing information

Curiosity and imagination

Performance Task(s): Choose a person or event and demonstrate its importance in Vermont History. Present your findings in a one page paper along with a creative visual (poster, glogster, diorama, skit, power point, movie, written piece etc.) to the rest of the class. Cite sources.

Other Evidence:

This unit on Vermont History will be integrated within the fourth grade reading program. Within the unit, all students will read a common text (Ethan Allen: A Life of Adventure by Michael T. Hahn). Additionally, Lyddie and Jip, by Vermont author Katherine Patterson will be read aloud to the class. Since this is a class unit, we will approach the text in a Literature Circle model, with activities in reading, writing and social studies surrounding the text. Using the district curriculum for Vermont History, activities are planned to focus on people and events that have formed Vermont’s rich history.

Portaportal: http://my.portaportal.com/

Login name: Vermont

Password: summer2010

1. Google Docs (Glogster)

2. Vermont-State with a Storybook Past, Cora Cheney

3.  Independent Investigation Method, Cindy Nottage and Virginia Morse

4.  From Sea to Shining Sea: Vermont, Dennis Fradin

5.  The Original Vermonters, William Haviland

6.  Abenaki Captive, Muriel Dubois

7.  Cave of Falling Water, Janice Ovecka

8.  Captive of Pittsford Ridge, Janice Ovecka

9.  A Cultural Patchwork, Elise Guyette

10.  Green Mountain Hero, Edgar Jackson

11.  Little Maid of Ticonderoga, Alice Curtis

12.  Over the River and through the Woods, Katharine Blaisdell

13.  Ethan Allen-Life of Adventure, Michael Hahn

14.  Abenaki kits,Fleming/Shelburne Museums

15. Portaportal (where direct links are posted)

*Understand what “research” means

*Understand historic time

*Reading analysis and interpretation

*Collaboration skills

*Cooperation skills

*Understand and be able to create higher level thinking questions

*Students need to understand how Literature Circles function

*Basic computer skills (start up, log on, sign out etc.)

*General overview of Vermont’s History

*Know how to access and use Portaportal

*Know what the essential questions for the unit

Students will be assigned to heterogeneous groups and each group will have an adult participant. We will work in both small and large groups for discussions which will be led by students. Each student will maintain a folder of materials and adults will assess with the students at specified points throughout the unit. We will access and use VCAT for assessment.

Day 1: Introduce unit: KWL (KW)

Students get onto Portaportal, select an article, read it and choose one

fact about Vermont for timeline.

Create timeline using “Time Line Generator”

http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/materials/timeline/

Day 2: Introduce book: Ethan Allen and Literature Circles: Read/discuss

Introduction and chapters 1 and 2.

.

Homework: Read one article in Happy Bicentennial Vermont! Write a

response.

Day 3: Share responses from Day 2 within small group.

Continue Literature Circles (Chapter 3: New Hampshire Grants).

Homework: Read chapter 4: Disputed claims. Write response.

Day 4: Share responses from Day 3 within small group.

Continue Literature Circles (Chapter 5: The Green Mountain Boys)

Formative assessment:

Write a constructed response: At times, Governor Benning Wentworth of

New Hampshire and Governor Colden of New York disobeyed King

George’s law to stop the Grants from being sold. They didn’t feel the

law was just or fair. Explain why it was okay or not okay for the Governors

to disobey the law?

Day 5: Begin read aloud : Lyddie Discuss/write class response.

Continue Literature Circles (Chapter 6: The Onion River Company)

Homework: Read chapter 7: Trouble at Westminster Court. Write

response.

Day 6: Continue Lyddie

Share responses from Day 5 within small group.

Continue Literature Circles (Chapter 8: Fort Ticonderoga)

Update timeline.

Homework: Read chapter 9: Planning an Invasion on Canada.

Write response (Due day 8)

Day 7: Activity: Field Trip to Ethan Allen Homestead

At the Homestead students will interview people who work there using a

voice recorder. Some students will use the Flip Camera to take video

footage and others will use digital cameras to take still photography.

Photographs will be used to create a Photostory of Ethan Allen’s Life.

Continue reading Lyddie

Day 8: Continue reading Lyddie

Share responses from day 6

Continue Literature Circles (Chapter 10: Attack on Montreal)

Homework: Read chapter 11: Ethan the Prisoner. Write response.

Day 9: Continue reading Lyddie

Share responses

Continue Literature Circles (Chapter 12: Ethan on Parole)

Day 10: Continue reading Lyddie

Continue Literature Circles (Chapter 13: A Hero’s Welcome)

Update timeline

Homework: Read chapter 14: Greater Vermont. Write response.

Day 11: Continue reading Lyddie

Continue Literature Circles (Chapter 15: Ethan’s Final Days)

Homework: Read chapter 16: Legacy. Write response.

Day 12: Use Glogster to create a poster of Ethan Allen’s Life

Day 13: Introduce work on research papers and projects

*Pose and discuss: What was Vermont like when Lake Champlain

was salt water? Brainstorm.

*Create a class timeline grouping important historical events from the

17^th Century to Present.

*Students will select topic, write an essential question, and begin

research.

Finish reading aloud Lyddie .Discuss each day.

Days 14-32: Students work on project that must include research paper and a

visual component using at least one Technology Skill and Tool.

Days 33-34-Present papers and projects to class.

All homework assignments will be posted on the class website.

Project-Based Learning:

• Final activity: Research and Visual Project

• Scrapbook of Ethan Allen’s Life

Differentiated Instruction: Breadth of choice for final project

Preteaching vocabulary for text on Ethan Allen

Choice to read aloud during book talks

Inquiry-Based Learning: Final research is based on Inquiry Process

Constructivism: Final visual project

Learning Centers:

Collaborative Groups: Literature Circles

Creating posters on Glogster

Other:

The final assessment will be a Research paper and Visual Project completed by each student. Students will use the district rubric above, and the 6+1 rubric below to self assess, and the same rubrics will be used by teachers to assess. Additionally, students will write a reflection on their learning addressing the following prompt: Describe three things you learned in this unit on Vermont History. Include as much detail as possible to create a strong piece of writing.

CATEGORY

4

3

2

1

Introduction (Organization)

The introduction is inviting, states the main topic and previews the structure of the paper.

The introduction clearly states the main topic and previews the structure of the paper, but is not particularly inviting to the reader.

The introduction states the main topic, but does not adequately preview the structure of the paper nor is it particularly inviting to the reader.

There is no clear introduction of the main topic or structure of the paper.

Accuracy of Facts (Content)

All supportive facts are reported accurately.

Almost all supportive facts are reported accurately.

Most supportive facts are reported accurately.

NO facts are reported OR most are inaccurately reported.

Conclusion (Organization)

The conclusion is strong and leaves the reader with a feeling that they understand what the writer is "getting at."

The conclusion is recognizable and ties up almost all the loose ends.

The conclusion is recognizable, but does not tie up several loose ends.

There is no clear conclusion, the paper just ends.

Grammar & Spelling (Conventions)

Writer makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.

Writer makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.

Writer makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.

Writer makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.

Capitalization & Punctuation (Conventions)

Writer makes no errors in capitalization or punctuation, so the paper is exceptionally easy to read.

Writer makes 1 or 2 errors in capitalization or punctuation, but the paper is still easy to read.

Writer makes a few errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader's attention and interrupt the flow.

Writer makes several errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader's attention and greatly