Description

Students will begin the unit by brainstorming and analyzing their prior knowledge of famous explorers, centering on their prior knowledge of Christopher Columbus.

Learning Targets

Students will:

Identify disciplinary concepts or ideas found or implied in compelling questions that are open to different interpretations (e.g. perspective, continuity and change)
Distinguish between fact and opinion and recognize bias and point of view while investigating social studies topics.

Teaching

Need to flesh out lesson...

Warm Up

Activate Prior Knowledge/Connect:

Writing Break

Exit Slip

Admit Slip

Brainstorming

Drawing and Illustrating

Clustering/Mapping

Ask students to brainstorm everything they think they already know about explorers independently on paper.

Launch

Define/Differentiate Key Terms

Pose BIg Ideas/Questions

Discuss:

1. Who were some famous explorers?

2. Why do we study them?

3. What was the Age of Exploration?

Explore

Use itslearning resources to expand understanding, reach lesson objectives, and meet learning targets/standards through a variety learning structures.

Learning Resources and Structures:

Critical Questioning, Critical/Grand Conversations, Develop Questions, Partner Read, Read Aloud, Video Clip, Handout, Form and Support an Opinion, Double Entry Journal, Nonstop-Write/Flash-Draft/Quick-Write, Reflective Write-Around/Silent Discussion.

1. Define fact and opinion. Separate student-generated "knowledge" into fact and opinion categories (based only on current beliefs-- assume all "facts" are true until proven otherwise) on a T-Chart. Have students copy into journals.

Example: "We study explorers because they were really cool." "Christopher Columbus was a bad man." - Opinion

"Explorers found lots of new places no european had ever seen before." -Fact (Even though it is not 100% accurate...)

2. Use fact and opinion cards to help students continue to help students continue to generate ideas and differentiate between facts and opinions.

Congress/Summarize

As students continually generate questions throughout the lesson, collect/compile/organize and post for independent, partner, or small group research. Share out.

Clustering/ Mind Maps, Reflective Write, Exit Slip, Write Around/Silent Discussion.

Have students complete a reflective write on the facts and opinions they heard today, and whether or not they agree with the information discussed with their classmates. Also ask them to think about where their prior knowledge comes from, and the types of sources they get their information from.

Notes

Not all standards referenced are used in this lesson.

Knowledge and Skills

3.A.2
3.B.1
7.C.1

Resources

Fact vs. Opinion Cards