Revised Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan: Introducing the Metro

Situating the Lesson: This lesson will occur a few lessons into the unit. Students will have already been introduced to Washington, DC, its sites, and its neighborhoods. After that background knowledge has been established, this lesson on navigating the city will be done.
Methods of Inquiry: Students will be given ample opportunity to ask questions throughout the lesson.

Instructional Goals: Students will be able to explain how to effectively use the Metro to navigate around Washington, DC and be able to explain how to use the internet to research how to use public transportation to get from point A to point B in the city.

Essential Questions: What is the Metro?
What is WMATA?
How do I use the metro to travel?
How do I get to school from my house via Metro?
Where are important sites located along the Metro?

Standards: 3.1.3: Identify and locate major historical sites in and around Washington, DC. 3.1.4: Describe various types of communities within the city. 3.1.5: Describe the ways in which people have used and modified resources in the local region.

Instructional Materials: Map of the metro
Internet computer connected to projector (or computer lab)
Location along metro of major monuments and sites (for teacher)
Smart Trip Card
Metro Fair Card
Pencils
Mystery Box
Worksheet: How to get from school to historical sites
Set Induction: I liked Jenna’s idea for using the mystery box, so I’m stealing it. Introduce mystery box, have students ask yes/no questions to try and figure out what is in the box. In the box will be a metro fair card. After they see the metro fair card, I will then show them a SmartTrip card and explain the difference. This part of the lesson will be conducted in the classroom. Following the completion of this portion, we will head to the computer lab.

Procedure:
Set induction
Discussion: What is the metro? Who uses the metro? Have you ever used the metro and where have you gone on it? Where can we get from the metro? Teacher guided discussion of the children’s background knowledge of the Metro.
Have students go to wmata.com and show them how to navigate to the interactive metro map.
Have students describe the map: what do you notice? What do you think the colors mean? Where is the school located?
Guided questioning on how the metro works (fair cards, lines, transfers, etc) to get the students to help each other and pull together their individual knowledge to help everyone understand
Review of instruction: ask students how they would get from point A to point B on the Metro.
Independent Student Practice: Students complete the A - B worksheet. The worksheet contains a list of several of the historical sites located we have previously discussed, the students need to use the website and internet to determine how to get from the school to each of those sites.
When worksheet is complete, hand out the homework, a blank sheet of paper, and a map of the metro. Students are to draw a loose map of how to get from their home to school via the metro

Assessment/Closure: Students will demonstrate their understanding of basic metro navigation in two ways: the in class worksheet and the at home map. Students complete a worksheet telling me how to get from the school to various historical and other sites around Washington, DC, illustrating they know how to use the internet to find the location of such sites, and how to use the WMATA website to learn how to travel. Their homework will also demonstrate to me that they understand how to use the metro as they draw me a map from their home to school and tell me how to get there via the metro. Additionally, to help keep students on task while in the computer lab, I will make sure to walk around checking in on their computers throughout the lesson.

*I kept most of the lesson the same. I changed around some of the direct instruction and tried to make it more student oriented. I also tried to account for third graders on a computer by insuring I am walking around the room while we are all working.

Learning Processes 3

Takaki still lends itself to being a little dense and there is a lot of information to be had. One strategy I have always liked for when it comes time to go back and review information from a textbook or informational book is to write one or two words that summarize the main idea of a paragraph in the margin next to the paragraph. Of course highlighting is always great for finding out the important information, we still need a way to remind ourselves where we can find particular information, this is why I like to write in the margin the main idea of paragraphs. The table of contents and indexes can only do so much for us when we are trying to find particular information fast, this method allows me to more quickly skim a page when I am looking for something in particular.

As we continue reading, Takaki continues to give us the different racial and ethnic groups and talk about their treatment by the majority white class. It is amazing how much they hated everyone, not just one group in particular. They exploited everyone, not just one or two groups. Because of this, I ask, why do American history courses not integrate these exploitations into the curriculum? Why are the treatment of others always an afterthought or separate unit? This makes these groups seem like they are not essential to the development and progress of American history. I can see the value in learning about particular groups individually, but not entirely separate. Being able to discuss the trials and tribulations of various social groups should be an assessment for units, and these groups should not need their own unit. It should be an overlying theme of the entire curriculum. As the semester progresses, build on the knowledge of what was happening to other people. Ignoring them until they get their own brief unit does not do them justice. They are a part of American history, not a side note, and we as teachers need to be treating and teaching their stories as such. Providing perspective needs to be done all year round.