Social Studies Lesson: Who Is Hitler?

Subject: Social Studies
Grade level of lesson: 3rd
Title/Concept: Who is Hitler?
Approximate duration of lesson: 50 minutes
Unit Title: Courage and Bravery

Standards/Competencies/Benchmarks:
MS Frameworks: 3rd grade Social Studies
2b. Recognize that there are different forms of government in different communities
around the world.
National Standards: People, Places, and Environments – Have learners create, interpret, use and distinguish various representations of Earth, such as maps, globes, and photographs, and use appropriate geographic tools such as atlases, databases, systems, charts, graphs, and maps to generate, manipulate, and interpret information.

Prerequisites:
The student should know:
The geographical location of Denmark.
How to perform a photograph analysis and make predictions.
Computer rules.
How to use the classroom computers and navigate through teacher approved internet sites.
Students should have read chapters 1-4 in Number the Stars.

Big Idea: People and places around the world have different beliefs and government practices. Who is Hitler and what does he believe.

Objectives:
1). The students will independently create a character analysis by analyzing photographs and listing 3 physical and 3 personal characteristics of Adolf Hitler.
2). The students will work in groups of three to investigate assigned research topics by using teacher approved internet websites to obtain answers to 7 given questions.

Assessment: The teacher will collect and assess the students work:

1. The student will only master the objective if he or she listed 3 physical and 3 personal characteristics of Adolf Hitler.

2. The teacher will use a rubric to assess the students group work. The students were given a copy of the rubric as well as a list of seven questions before beginning their projects. The students will only master the objective if they answered all 7 questions pertaining to their research topic.

Preparation:
* (Review) The teacher will review the geographical locations of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, France, Holland, and Belgium.

* (Affective Hook) The teacher will tell the class that she found a package at the door this morning from Annemarie. (main character from the story Number the Stars)
She will open the package and show the class the contents of the package, a swastika symbol. The teacher will ask the class if they know what the symbol represents. She will then ask if they have seen it before and where? The teacher will explain that the students will be learning about Adolf Hitler today. She will tell the students that they may see the swastika in several photographs that they view. She will tell the students that it is their job to help her determine what the symbol stands for and who might wear it.

* (Relevance) The teacher will explain to the students that it is important to understand who Adolf Hitler is and his government position in order to better understand the story and the history of the time period that the story takes place.

The teacher will:

* Display a photograph of Adolf Hitler on the promethean board. She will ask the students if they know the name of the man displayed in the photograph and what his job position is.
* After the students respond she will then ask the students to analyze the photograph. She will ask various questions: Does he look happy, sad, serious, or mean in the photograph? Notice the symbol on his jacket; it is the symbol Annemarie gave us this morning. Why do you think he is wearing this symbol?
* Show a short slideshow of photographs of Hitler and the Nazi party during WWII. The students will look at each picture very carefully and perform a character analysis of Adolf Hitler based on the photographs. They will look at each picture very carefully and make a prediction about Hitler, what kind of person they think he is, noting physical and personal characteristics.
* Go through the slideshow once more and discuss each picture with the students. She will tell the students that each photograph tells a story. First, she will ask for the student’s predictions of what they think is happening in the picture and then she will build on their response.

Guidance:
* The teacher will divide the students into small groups of 3. Each group will receive a research topic pertaining to the photographs they have just viewed. The topics will include: The Nazi Party, the swastika, Hitler’s beliefs, and Hitler’s government position. Each topic will have a specific set of questions listed below it that the students must answer through their research.
* The students will work together with their group members to research their topics on classroom computers. Specific teacher approved websites are listed under each topic. The students will use only these websites to obtain their information.
* Each student will be responsible for filling out a major highlights chart in which they display the information they have gathered from their research.
* Once each group has completed their research they will be asked to share their findings with the class. Each group will present a summary to the class that includes the questions they have answered through their research. All students will actively listen and pay close attention to their classmates.

Application:

The teacher will:
* Ask the students who they noticed wearing the swastika.
* Ask the students what the swastika stands for (one of the small groups had the swastika as a topic).
* Tell the students she is very proud of their observations and research. She will tell the students that although we found through research today that Hitler was a very cruel man and we may not agree with his beliefs or practices it is important that we learn about him because he is an important part of history.

Chapter 5: Understanding and Using Texts

When I think of text used in a classroom boring outdated text books come to mind. As a future teacher, I plan to encourage and motivate my students read. A good way to do this is by introducing a variety of texts to students that will at some point meet each student’s interest. With in each content area several assortments of text can be used and introduced within the classroom. Not only is it important to use a variety of text but one must also consider the readability of the text, the content, and the interest. Students are not likely to read text they are not interested in unless they are given no choice in the matter. I do not want to be a teacher that forces my students to read.
Digital text has the strongest impact on students because they are surrounded by it daily. Digital text allows students to encounter experiences they would not naturally be around or have the opportunity to see. They are able to view other cultures, lifestyles, see photographs, and videos of people all around the world. Computers can and should be used in every classroom on a daily basis. It enhances learning for students and creates authentic experiences.
It is also important to consider assignment when choosing text selections. Difficult assignments that require extensive thought from the student should not be paired with unfamiliar text. A helpful way to break down a big assignment that involves complex text is to pick out the big ideas from the text. Essentially, what should the student know and understand after reading. Eliminate as much extra information as possible so the student does not become lost in the text. Texts are very important for both teaching and learning; however, they are only effective when used in an appropriate manner.

Journeys: Exploring Life and Learning

Diane Cordell is a School Library Media Specialist in upstate New York. She shares random thoughts, interesting quotes, and findings on her blog. What first caught my attention was a picture located at the top of her last blog posting of an old classroom with antique wooden desks and bench style chairs. She seems to have found a copy of a test from 1985 that was supposedly intended for 8th grade students. The test seems a bit advanced for 8th grade and she goes on to say after doing extensive research she found that the test was actually used for teacher cadidates. I guess I'm a nerd, I found her post quite interesting!
If you want to check out Diane's blog this is the link: http://dmcordell.blogspot.com/

Conley's 9th Principle

9. Ongoing formative assessment of students, which is informal, often daily assessment of how students are progressing under current instructional practices.
I think Conley was conveying the importance of daily assessment through this principle. Teachers can assess students informally on a daily basis in a variety of ways. They may do simple things such as observing students as they work, having a short conversation with them, reading something the student has written from that day. It is important to perform daily assessments not only to see the instructional strategies and approaches that the students respond well to but also as a teacher you can evaluate yourself. Did the students truly understand the content that was taught, do some topics need to be revisited? Ineffective approaches can be thrown out and effective approaches and strategies that students respond well to can continue to be used and developed into stronger methods.

Chapter 4: Assessments

I have always been a very panicky test taker. No matter how much I prepare or how confident I am in the material I always stress to the max. As a child I was easily distracted during tests. I can specifically remember my third grade spelling assessment experiences. Torrie, a girl who sat right next to me, nervously tapped her pencil against her desk during spelling tests. It seemed the less prepared Torrie was for the test the harder she tapped her pencil, maybe it helped her think! No matter how prepared I was for the test I was always very distracted by the tapping of Torrie’s pencil; it was difficult for me to concentrate and focus. I most certainly can side with students who are not good test takers. Accommodations for assessment are a crucial aspect of accomplishing a valid and reliable sample of each student’s performance. Students can easily be distracted when taking an assessment, every noise, pen drop, or pencil tap is heard and often distracts students that have trouble focusing.
Assessments should be used to gather information about student learning. Teachers should design and plan assessments before teaching. This will ensure that the learning objectives align with assessment goals. I think authentic assessment is very important and meaningful to students. It allows students to apply the information they have learned to a real life experience. Classroom tests were discussed in the chapter which I also found to be a wonderful assessment tool. I do not think it’s fair to give students text book based assessments that have been written by a publisher. Classroom tests are written by the teacher who knows her students and can word questions in an appropriate manner for students. Students often get lost in the wording of standardized tests.
The assessment approach that stood out to me most in this chapter is the use of portfolios. I think portfolios are a great way to motivate students and encourage them to put effort into their work. It allows students to have a sense of pride and ownership in their work. It also allows students to view their own personal growth within a specific period of time. Portfolios allow students to add their own little touch of creativity to their work, evaluate their work, and explain their understandings. Portfolios can also be used during parent conferences to display the students work.