Teacher Education Lesson Plan Template

Teacher: Nicholas Kowalski Date: 10/9-10/2018

Title of Lesson: Heading West Cooperating Teacher: Stephanie Aitchison

Core Components
Subject, Content Area, or Topic
7th Grade US History 1865 to Present
Student Population
The classroom consists of 98 students divided into four classes of 25, 26, 25, and 22. There are 66
boys and 32 girls. All students are identified as gifted though each has unique learning needs. Six
students have a 504 Plan in place.
Learning Objectives
● Students will be able to analyze documents in order to understand why Americans chose to
head west.
● Students will be able to identify the effects of the Homestead Act on Western expansion
● Students will be able to identify other elements that lead settlers west (e.g. gold, adventure,
as fresh start for newly freed African-Americans).
● Students will be able to identify specific information asked for in guided reading questions.
● Students will be able to summarize secondary and primary sources.
● Students will be able to synthesize their thoughts into a brief generalization as to why people
decided to head west.
Virginia Essential Knowledge and Skills

SOL USII 1a: The student will demonstrate skills for historical thinking, geographical analysis,
economic decision making, and responsible citizenship by analyzing and interpreting artifacts and
primary and secondary sources to understand events in United States history.

SOL USII 4a: The student will apply social science skills to understand how life changed after the
Civil War by examining the reasons for westward expansion, including its impact on American
Indians.

Materials/Resources
Expo Markers/Pen or Pencil
Paper/ or personal white boards
Homestead Act article (History.com)
California Gold rush article (PBS)
Transcontinental Railroad Article (schoolworkhelper.net)
African Americans on the Frontier (Scholastic)
“I will go West” by JP Barrett (song)
Two-column notes for Heading West.

(Option to have these materials replaced with digital ones)

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers.
Revised August 2015
High Yield Instructional Strategies Used (Marzano, 2001)

Check if Used Strategy Return

Identifying Similarities & Differences 45%
Summarizing & Note Taking 34%
Reinforcing Efforts & Providing Recognition 29%
Homework & Practice 28%
Nonlinguistic Representations 27%
Cooperative Learning 23%
Setting Goals & Providing Feedback 23%
Generating & Testing Hypothesis 23%
Questions, Cues, & Advanced Organizers 22%
DOES YOUR INSTRUCTIONAL INPUT & MODELING YIELD THE POSITIVE
RETURNS YOU WANT FOR YOUR STUDENTS?
Check if Used Strategy Return
Teach Others/Immediate Use of Learning 95%
Practice by Doing 75%
Discussion 50%
Demonstration 30%
Audio Visual 20%
Reading 10%
Lecture 05%
Safety (if applicable)
N/A

Time
(min.) Process Components
1 min. *Anticipatory Set
The teacher will introduce the idea of the American west, mentions of cowboys wide open
spaces (etc.). The teacher will then ask how did this all come to be. Why did Americans
decide to head west when the west was seen as such a desolate place (see Geography of the
West lesson)
2-3 *State the Objectives (grade-level terms)
min. ● Students will be able to analyze documents in order to understand why Americans
chose to head west.
● Students will be able to synthesize their ideas from individual summaries and

15 *Instructional Input or Procedure

min. 1. The teacher will then introduce the Homestead Act of 1862. This act made land out
west cheap and easy to buy, and acted as an incentive for people to head west.
The teacher will then ask the students to do research to help answer the question of
“Why did Americans head West?”
2. The teacher will lay out a collection of documents (one primary, four secondary)
and the students will have to fill out a two-column note sheet asking them guided
reading questions on each document (this includes summaries).
McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers.
Revised August 2015
 3. Students will work in randomly set pairs.
4. The teacher will ask the students to use their summaries in order to construct a 3-4
sentence answer to the question “Why did Americans head West?
5. The teacher will then ask students to share their answers to the class.
N/A *Modeling
The teacher will show students how to write a short summary of a document.

<1 *Check for Understanding

min. The teacher will ask for a verbal affirmation of understanding.

40-45 *Independent Practice

min Students will work in pairs reviewing the documents relating to traveling west, completing
the two-column note sheet, and creating summaries that will help them to answer the
question of “why did Americans head west?”
5-10 *Guided Practice
min Students will share their findings that they came up in Independent Practice with the class
and the teacher will comment on these.
<1 Assessment
min The teacher will have the students’ completed two column note sheets that can showcase
how effective they are at summarizing and synthesizing.
3-4 *Closure
min. The teacher will synthesize the students’ responses to the question “why did Americans
head west?” and offer that it was a mixture of a lust for adventure, gold, free land, and a
fresh start that led them west; enabled by the railroad system and cheap land.
Differentiation Strategies (enrichment, accommodations, remediation, or by learning style).
Several students have been placed to the front of the classroom. One due to needs that have be met
according to their 504.
Classroom Management Issues (optional)
Some students in the class when working in groups tend to drive the conversation off topic.
However some prods in the right direction generally remind them to stay on task.
Lesson Critique. To be completed following the lesson. Did your students meet the
objective(s)? What part of the lesson would you change? Why?

*Denotes Madeline Hunter lesson plan elements.

Intern Signature Cooperating Teacher Signature Date

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers.
Revised August 2015