Lesson Plan Title:How to Learn About Your Community and Heritage

Objectives: (Grade 4)

The student will understand how everyone has history and can be a historian.

The student will gather, examine and predict information about life during earlier times from various primary sources.

The student will use his or her own community as a primary source to learn about the community and about his or her own heritage.

The student will use good interview skills to gain information from resource persons.

The student will use research skills to collect data about the community.

The student will analyze the collected data to hypothesize about the community's past, present and future.

The student will report his or her new learning about the community and/or personal heritage using an appropriate presentation mode.

Materials: examples of artifacts and primary sources (early maps, photographs, diaries, etc.).

Procedures:

1. Lesson - Follow the steps described on Primary Sources - Learning About Your Community and Heritage: a) being a history detective; b) everyone has history; c) primary sources. (Note: Click on link for detailed information-Reference &Teacher Pages).

2. Teacher finds resources person(s) by contacting local historical societies, senior citizen centers, or by sending a letter addressed to the students' parents, grandparents and long-time residents.

3. Teacher helps students prepare interview questions. For sample questions, link to oral history site- http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/oralhist.htm

4. Resource Person(s) visit class- a) give story/information about local history; b) students interview the resource person.

5. Prepare students for field trip- a) background information about the places to be visited; b) use of observation and inquiry skills; c) read, then compare/contrast early and modern maps of the community; d) students prepare questions for resource persons they will meet on the field trip; e) procedures for the trip.

6. Field trip to historic and governmental sites within the attendance area of the school.

• Students record information from their observations on the Data Collection Sheet  (click on Reference & Teacher Pages)
• Visit to cemetery- Students find and collect data for the 10 individual Cemetery Question Cards  (click on Reference & Teacher Pages).
• Student ask good questions of resource persons- docents, local historians, or government officials. Students record responses, using note taking skills.

Internet Sites:

COMMUNITIES SITES

URL: http://www.livingplaces.com/COMMUNITIES/

URL: http://www.hilltown.org

URL: http://www.pennsylvania.com

URL: http://www.state.pa.us

Student Web Work Procedure - After the field trip- a) visit online sites that contain information about the community and/or relevant links to gain additional information and to check the information gathered during the trip; b) students draw conclusions about their community- its history, heritage, changes and government- from the data collected; c) small groups of students continue research, then draw conclusions based on their findings on a specific topic about their community such as: early history, how the community is changing, local government and its services, famous persons who lived in the community, jobs, etc.; d) students decide how they will present their findings- written, oral, visual, electronic, etc.

Outcomes -

1. Students present their reports to their classmates, parents and (possibly) to civic and local business groups.

2. Optional- Revise or enhance school or community websites with new information discovered during student research, either while on the field trip or during class time.

Assessment and Evaluation

• The teacher has the students complete a student self assessment. (Note: click to Student Self Assessment. form on Reference and Teacher Pages)
• Teacher reviews and evaluates student work products and journal entries.
• Teacher evaluates presentation for: accuracy, use of source materials, clarity of presentation.
• Optional - Teacher uses PSSA Writing Rubric to evaluate student writing.