Collaborative Learning: Adoption Level

(K-4 Lesson)

Presidents Come to Town!
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Grade Level
3, 4
Classroom Configuration:
  • Small group, using classroom computers or mobile laptops as rotating stations
Arizona State Content Standards
  • Social Studies
    • Strand 1: American History
      • Concept 6: Civil War and Reconstruction
        • PO 3: Use primary source materials and secondary source materials to study people and events from the past.
    • Strand 3: Civics and Government
      • Concept 1: Foundations of Government
        • PO 4: Describe the significance of national holidays
  • Language Arts-Writing
    • Strand 2: Writing Elements
      • Concept 2: Organization
        • PO 1: Organize content in a selected format
        • PO 2: Create a beginning the captures the readers attention
      • Concept 5: Sentence Fluency
        • PO 1: Write simple and compound sentences
Arizona Educational Technology Standards (2009)
  • Strand 2: Communication and Collaboration
    • Concept 1: Effective Communication and Digital Interaction
      • PO 1: Communicate digitally with others.
  • Strand 3: Research and Information Literacy
    • Concept 1: Knowledge and Ideas
      • PO 1: Evaluate information to generate ideas.
    • Concept 2: Processing
      • PO 2: Use preselected sources.
Objectives
  • The students will read news stories for information about the 5 Ws and 1 H.
  • The students will understand simple newspaper vocabulary.
  • The students will conduct a simple interview with either President George Washington or President Abraham Lincoln, using an online resource and record their answers.
  • The students will create their own news story lead.
  • The students will write a simple paragraph
Procedure
  • Preparation
    1. Organize centers by materials and activities that would revolve around Newspapers (newspaper vocabulary, front page samples, clippings, leads) a Reporter (5 W's and 1 H; Who, What, Where, When, Why and How, and interviewing skills), Presidents (books about Washington and Lincoln, human interest stories), and Interview stations (computers set-up, Virsona website bookmarked.)
  • Lesson
    1. Students pretend that 2 presidents have come to town. They have been identified as school newspaper reporters and it will be their job to interview the president of their choice.
    2. While at the Interview station, students will "interview" Washington or Lincoln using the 5 W's questions that they created at this center
      1. Students will go to Virsona and click on the president of choice. (They do not need to log on or register).
      2. If Virsona is not available, answers to lower level questions may be found at President's Day Home Page.
      3. While there, students will conduct the interview by typing simple questions and recording the answers.
    3. After every student has interviewed a president online, students will meet as a whole group for instruction, and brainstorm writing a news story lead. Teacher will check for understanding as the class compiles all of their different ideas for a news lead to write their individual paragraphs about the President being in town!
    4. Students will construct a simple newspaper story (paragraph) at their desk using paper and pencil.
Materials
Assessment
  • Students identify the 5 W's and 1 H of their newspaper story
TIM - Collaborative: Adoption
Northern Arizona University