Grade 1 Social Studies
Lesson 3- The Liberty Bell
I. Statement of Purpose
A symbol is something that stands for something else. All nations have symbols that are special to their people. Students will be taught about the Liberty Bell, one of the United States national symbols. This will allow them to be informed and knowledgeable citizens of the country they live in. Students must know the history and significance of this symbol. They will be able to list reasons why the Liberty Bell is important to the United States through the
creation of a poster. Students will be able to compare and contrast the national symbols which they have learned so far in the unit; flag, Lincoln Memorial, bald eagle, Uncle Sam, Statue of Liberty, and Liberty Bell.
II. Standards
Standard 1: History of the United States and New York
Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government
III. Lesson Goals
1. Students should be able to know facts about the liberty bell based on their participation in an interactive read-aloud of the book The Liberty Bell by Mary Firestone.
2. Students should be able to apply their knowledge of the significance of the Liberty Bell to the United States by creating a web diagram as a class.
3. Students should be able to analyze the similarities and differences between the given national symbols.
IV. Lesson Objectives
1. As a whole class, students will identify facts about the Liberty Bell during the reading of The Liberty Bell by Mary Firestone.
2. As a whole class, students will apply their knowledge from the reading of the book, The Liberty Bell by Mary Firestone, to create a web diagram explaining the significance of the Liberty Bell to the United States.
3. Individually, students will compare and contrast the national symbols which they have learned about so far, flag, Lincoln Memorial, bald eagle, Uncle Sam, Statue of Liberty, and Liberty Bell, in their journals.
V. Classroom Arrangement
Throughout the beginning parts of the lesson, reading of the book, discussion of the book, and the web diagram, students will be seated on the carpeted floor in the front of the classroom. The teacher will be sure that everyone can sit and see without disturbing others. If a problem persists, the student will be asked to continue listening to the story or class discussion at their desk, which will be next to the carpeted area. During the writing of the journal entry, students will be seated at their desks.
VI. Instructional Methods
1. Teacher will direct students to the carpet for a book reading.
2. Teacher will read the book The Liberty Bell by Mary Firestone. While reading, the teacher will stop and ask questions and conduct an interactive read-aloud with the class to guide understanding. The teacher will make mental notes of who is participating in the interactive read-aloud for means of assessment.
3. Teacher will ask the students discussion questions after the reading, based on the questions and comments they stated during the interactive read-aloud.
4. Teacher will listen and add to the discussion when the teacher see fit, otherwise the teacher will let the students feed off of each other’s responses. Teacher will make mental notes of who is speaking, posing, and answering
questions for means of assessment.
5. Teacher will turn the student’s attention to the easel that has a large piece of paper on it.
6. Teacher will write the words ‘The Liberty Bell’ in the middle of the paper and explain to the class that they will create a web to organize their thinking. This will be hung in the classroom so they can look back at their thoughts later in the unit.
7. Teacher will take suggestions from the students as to what to put in the web, if needed the teacher will ask questions to guide the responses. As the students make suggestions the teacher will write their name next to their input for means of assessment and for the students to be able to see their responses when the poster is hung.
8. Teacher will sum up the findings by asking the students if they have any questions about the Liberty Bell and why it is important to the United States.
9. Teacher will hang the poster up in the front of the room for the students to see.
10. Teacher will show the students to National Symbols Matching Game pieces.
11. Teacher will ask students to compare and contrast the symbols they have learned; flag, Lincoln Memorial, bald eagle, Uncle Sam, Statue of Liberty, and Liberty Bell in their journals at their seats. This will be collected by the teacher and assessed using a rubric. Students will be assessed by their ability to compare the symbols, ability to contrast
the symbols, neatness, and organization.
12. Teacher will ask students for some ideas about their journaling and ask the students if there are any questions.
VII. Materials
The Liberty Bell by Mary Firestone
Easel
Chart
paper
Markers
National Symbols Matching Game
Student Journals
Pencils
VIII. Assessment and Evaluation
Assessment for this lesson will be done during all four sections of the lesson. During the first section, the reading of the book, the teacher will make mental notes while observing the interaction the children have during the interactive read-aloud. The teacher will make note of who is asking and answering questions and who might need more guidance. During the second section, the discussion, the teacher will ask the students who did not participate in the interactive read-aloud questions to make sure they understood what was read. The teacher will also make mental notes on the observations of who is posing questions and participating in thoughtful discussions. During the third part of the lesson, the web diagram, the teacher will make note of who adds what on the poster by writing their name next to their input towards the web. This will allow the students to see their thinking during the unit and they will look back
on what they said during the Lesson 4 when they are creating their web diagrams in groups. The teacher will complete a checklist of who added to the discussion and the poster; this will contribute to 5 points of the overall 150 possible points in the unit grade, as stated on Unit Rubric. The student’s journal writing will contribute to 15 possible points on the Unit Rubric.
Lesson 3:
Students added to discussion and poster.
0 Points: Students did not add their thoughts during the discussion and the poster.
3 Points: Students added thoughts during the discussion and poster but their thoughts were not appropriate or clearly stated.
5 Points: Students added their thoughts in a clear and appropriate way to the discussion and creation of the poster.
Students completed their journal entry comparing and contrasting the national symbols that were learned; flag, Lincoln Memorial, bald eagle, Uncle Sam, Statue of Liberty, and Liberty Bell
0 Points: Students did not complete the article and did not compare or contrast the national symbols that were learned thus far.
3 Points: Students completed the journal entry but only compared or only contrasted the national symbols that were learned thus far.
5 Points: Students completed the journal entry and both compared and contrasted the national symbols that were learned thus far.
IX. Accommodations
During this lesson there are multiple opportunities for accommodations for all kinds of learners especially, ELL and special education students. Students who are auditory learners will be able to listen to the book and their classmates’ responses to understand the material. Students who are visual learners will be able to see the words and pictures in the book and also see the thoughts of their classmates during the creation of the web diagram. Students are also able to write their own thoughts in their journals to show individual understanding, for those who might not want to share their thoughts verbally.
Students who are English Language Learners will be able to hear the responses of their classmates and understand terms and facts from the book by hearing them in a different way. Students will be able to have time to plan what they are going to say during the interactive read-aloud, class discussion, and web diagram. Students will be able to use this new found knowledge to write their thoughts in their journals. This will give them practice with the language and writing in a less formal setting.
Students with special needs will be able to have time to process their thoughts before giving a response or posing a question. This will allow them to be more confident in their knowledge. The lesson allows for students to have ample opportunities to understand the topic. The graphic organizer allows for these students to see their thoughts and look back when needed. They can use the information from both web diagrams that were created, during Lesson 1 and Lesson 3, to help them with their journal entry.
X. References
Firestone, M. (2007). The liberty bell. Minneapolis, MN: Picture Window Books.
A symbol is something that stands for something else. All nations have symbols that are special to their people. Students will be taught about the Liberty Bell, one of the United States national symbols. This will allow them to be informed and knowledgeable citizens of the country they live in. Students must know the history and significance of this symbol. They will be able to list reasons why the Liberty Bell is important to the United States through the
creation of a poster. Students will be able to compare and contrast the national symbols which they have learned so far in the unit; flag, Lincoln Memorial, bald eagle, Uncle Sam, Statue of Liberty, and Liberty Bell.
II. Standards
Standard 1: History of the United States and New York
Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government
III. Lesson Goals
1. Students should be able to know facts about the liberty bell based on their participation in an interactive read-aloud of the book The Liberty Bell by Mary Firestone.
2. Students should be able to apply their knowledge of the significance of the Liberty Bell to the United States by creating a web diagram as a class.
3. Students should be able to analyze the similarities and differences between the given national symbols.
IV. Lesson Objectives
1. As a whole class, students will identify facts about the Liberty Bell during the reading of The Liberty Bell by Mary Firestone.
2. As a whole class, students will apply their knowledge from the reading of the book, The Liberty Bell by Mary Firestone, to create a web diagram explaining the significance of the Liberty Bell to the United States.
3. Individually, students will compare and contrast the national symbols which they have learned about so far, flag, Lincoln Memorial, bald eagle, Uncle Sam, Statue of Liberty, and Liberty Bell, in their journals.
V. Classroom Arrangement
Throughout the beginning parts of the lesson, reading of the book, discussion of the book, and the web diagram, students will be seated on the carpeted floor in the front of the classroom. The teacher will be sure that everyone can sit and see without disturbing others. If a problem persists, the student will be asked to continue listening to the story or class discussion at their desk, which will be next to the carpeted area. During the writing of the journal entry, students will be seated at their desks.
VI. Instructional Methods
1. Teacher will direct students to the carpet for a book reading.
2. Teacher will read the book The Liberty Bell by Mary Firestone. While reading, the teacher will stop and ask questions and conduct an interactive read-aloud with the class to guide understanding. The teacher will make mental notes of who is participating in the interactive read-aloud for means of assessment.
3. Teacher will ask the students discussion questions after the reading, based on the questions and comments they stated during the interactive read-aloud.
4. Teacher will listen and add to the discussion when the teacher see fit, otherwise the teacher will let the students feed off of each other’s responses. Teacher will make mental notes of who is speaking, posing, and answering
questions for means of assessment.
5. Teacher will turn the student’s attention to the easel that has a large piece of paper on it.
6. Teacher will write the words ‘The Liberty Bell’ in the middle of the paper and explain to the class that they will create a web to organize their thinking. This will be hung in the classroom so they can look back at their thoughts later in the unit.
7. Teacher will take suggestions from the students as to what to put in the web, if needed the teacher will ask questions to guide the responses. As the students make suggestions the teacher will write their name next to their input for means of assessment and for the students to be able to see their responses when the poster is hung.
8. Teacher will sum up the findings by asking the students if they have any questions about the Liberty Bell and why it is important to the United States.
9. Teacher will hang the poster up in the front of the room for the students to see.
10. Teacher will show the students to National Symbols Matching Game pieces.
11. Teacher will ask students to compare and contrast the symbols they have learned; flag, Lincoln Memorial, bald eagle, Uncle Sam, Statue of Liberty, and Liberty Bell in their journals at their seats. This will be collected by the teacher and assessed using a rubric. Students will be assessed by their ability to compare the symbols, ability to contrast
the symbols, neatness, and organization.
12. Teacher will ask students for some ideas about their journaling and ask the students if there are any questions.
VII. Materials
The Liberty Bell by Mary Firestone
Easel
Chart
paper
Markers
National Symbols Matching Game
Student Journals
Pencils
VIII. Assessment and Evaluation
Assessment for this lesson will be done during all four sections of the lesson. During the first section, the reading of the book, the teacher will make mental notes while observing the interaction the children have during the interactive read-aloud. The teacher will make note of who is asking and answering questions and who might need more guidance. During the second section, the discussion, the teacher will ask the students who did not participate in the interactive read-aloud questions to make sure they understood what was read. The teacher will also make mental notes on the observations of who is posing questions and participating in thoughtful discussions. During the third part of the lesson, the web diagram, the teacher will make note of who adds what on the poster by writing their name next to their input towards the web. This will allow the students to see their thinking during the unit and they will look back
on what they said during the Lesson 4 when they are creating their web diagrams in groups. The teacher will complete a checklist of who added to the discussion and the poster; this will contribute to 5 points of the overall 150 possible points in the unit grade, as stated on Unit Rubric. The student’s journal writing will contribute to 15 possible points on the Unit Rubric.
Lesson 3:
Students added to discussion and poster.
0 Points: Students did not add their thoughts during the discussion and the poster.
3 Points: Students added thoughts during the discussion and poster but their thoughts were not appropriate or clearly stated.
5 Points: Students added their thoughts in a clear and appropriate way to the discussion and creation of the poster.
Students completed their journal entry comparing and contrasting the national symbols that were learned; flag, Lincoln Memorial, bald eagle, Uncle Sam, Statue of Liberty, and Liberty Bell
0 Points: Students did not complete the article and did not compare or contrast the national symbols that were learned thus far.
3 Points: Students completed the journal entry but only compared or only contrasted the national symbols that were learned thus far.
5 Points: Students completed the journal entry and both compared and contrasted the national symbols that were learned thus far.
IX. Accommodations
During this lesson there are multiple opportunities for accommodations for all kinds of learners especially, ELL and special education students. Students who are auditory learners will be able to listen to the book and their classmates’ responses to understand the material. Students who are visual learners will be able to see the words and pictures in the book and also see the thoughts of their classmates during the creation of the web diagram. Students are also able to write their own thoughts in their journals to show individual understanding, for those who might not want to share their thoughts verbally.
Students who are English Language Learners will be able to hear the responses of their classmates and understand terms and facts from the book by hearing them in a different way. Students will be able to have time to plan what they are going to say during the interactive read-aloud, class discussion, and web diagram. Students will be able to use this new found knowledge to write their thoughts in their journals. This will give them practice with the language and writing in a less formal setting.
Students with special needs will be able to have time to process their thoughts before giving a response or posing a question. This will allow them to be more confident in their knowledge. The lesson allows for students to have ample opportunities to understand the topic. The graphic organizer allows for these students to see their thoughts and look back when needed. They can use the information from both web diagrams that were created, during Lesson 1 and Lesson 3, to help them with their journal entry.
X. References
Firestone, M. (2007). The liberty bell. Minneapolis, MN: Picture Window Books.