TED 633 Assignment 3B - Field Experience: Lesson Plan

Day	Major Content Area (MCA)	Learning Plan and Activities
1	Rise of Adolf Hitler (55 min.)	Strategy The strategy will be to begin with a teacher-directed lecture to introduce students to new topic. The lecture may include video clips, audio, or images to engage student and help students understand key concepts for the content area.  Students will then work on student-centered activity, which will allow students to collaborate and discuss information from the lecture. Accommodations –   ELL: Provide vocabulary words and definitions in student’s native language, as well as in English. Students with disabilities: Vocabulary words maybe provide in audio format or with visual cues. Pre-Assessment (5 min.) Presentation of New Material (20 min.) Read textbook and other materials provided on the life of Hitler.  Watch a short video clip, how Germans were impressed with Hitler. http://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/e7da364e-10be-427e-b4bf-01a674607521/hearing-hitler-speak-gary-gribnitz-wwii-europe/ Go over vocabulary words, The teacher will then distribute a handout with the key terms and concepts that will need to be defined for the content area lesson.  The terms for this content area are: Totalitarian, Fascism, Communism, propaganda, genocide, and racial purity. The class will be asked to offer possible definitions to these terms and concepts, and the teacher will actively guide them to the correct answer.  The students will fill in the definitions on their handouts.  Student-Centered Activity (20 min.) Students will be divided into groups of 3-4; the students will be assigned a PowerPoint presentation assignment. Students will have the option of comparing Adolf Hitler to other totalitarian leaders, Mussolini, Stalin, or other key figures that have attempted to “purify a race” compare the holocaust to other genocides like Armenia, middle east, Rwanda, and Bosnia.  Pass out rubric on Power Point presentation assignment.  Presentation must include the following questions listed below: 1.      Who is Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Joseph Stalin?   2.      Key personal facts of each leader. (compare and contrast) 3.      How did they rise to power? 4.      Political policy. 5.      Results of their political policies. 6.      Compare Nazi policy with another genocide or racial hate group. Closure/Homework (10 min.) Groups will share one key piece of information they have discovered in research. The teacher will use this information to fill in KWL chart on the board.  The teacher will ask if any of the students have questions.  Homework will be assigned; students are to read the unit section in their textbook for the following day.

I informed my class that today we would be learning about the rise of Adolf Hitler, but first I wanted to know what they knew and what they would like to know.  We started to fill in the KWL chart.   This took longer than I thought it would.   I had allocated 5 minutes to the pre-assessment but this information would then lead us to the lesson.  Some of the information that students knew came from movies, video games, what they could remember from reading the Diary of Anne Frank, one student had visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., we were getting off topic.  They did share information like he was evil, the killed Jews, he was from Germany, he was a Nazi, he was a bad man. The next part was asking what they would like to know.  The students wanted to know why? What made him evil? Why did he kill all those people? I did prompt them, would they like to know when and where he was born? What was he like as a kid? Was he married? Did he have kids? I figured we were off to a good start, I believe reading the text material and doing research would get us the results we were seeking.  (this took about 12 minutes).

We then watched a short video on how Germans were impressed with Hitler.  After we watched the video, I asked if there were any questions.  One student said they didn’t really know what he was saying but went along with it.  Yes, that was true from what Gary Gribntzi could recall as a young child.  I think some students were beginning to see how Hitler impressed young people.  At this point I started my lecture about Hitler, when he was born, how he was born in Austria not Germany.  I provided students with a background on Adolf Hitler.  I lectured on how he joined fought for Germany in World War II, and how he opposed those in power.  He felt a strong sense of National pride for Germany, how he was imprisoned and wrote the book Mein Kampf ("My Struggle").  How he managed to gain power by running for President (loosing) and being appointed Chancellor and eventually forming a dictatorship.  (this took about 20 minutes).   

I then handed out a sheet that I had printed some facts about Hitler.  I forgot to borrow a World History book, so I could not assign reading from the textbook.  I informed student that we would later use Chrome books and they could conduct research to gain more facts about Hitler and we would add them to the KWL chart. 

I then handed out the vocabulary worksheet, and informed the students that we would go over the words and definitions, these words could be found in the textbook, or they could look them up online.  (this took about 5 minutes)

I then divided students into groups of 3-4; students were assigned the powerpoint presentation assignment.  I passed out the rubric and the information that their presentation must contain.  I allowed students to discuss what topic they would like to compare.  Students then used chrome books to begin research and working on vocabulary words. 

After about 15 minutes, since I realized I was running out of the 55 minutes I had allocated for the lesson.  I attempted to wrap up and ask if there were any questions, I informed them of their homework which was reading the textbook and continuing to do research.  I informed them that tomorrow they would be able to share any new information they discovered about Hitler so we could add to the KWL. 

What did I learn?

I learned that it is very easy to lose track of time and to get off topic.  I think sometimes pre-assessments take longer than you have planned for but it is a good exercise that leads into the lesson that is ok.    If you are having a good discussion/lecture and students are raising hand and asking question that it is a good thing, this allows the teacher to know that students are engaged in the lesson.

What would you change?

I need to set a timer to keep me on track otherwise I could probably talk/lecture during the whole class period.  I need to walk around the classroom, because I spent way too much time with one group and that was unfair to the other students.  I think some of this will get better with time as I practice and gain more experience. 

What did I enjoy?

I enjoyed teaching students, our KWL chart needs to be filled out and that is what I hope to accomplish.  I realized that a lot of students don’t know a lot of information about Adolf Hitler and when I was lecturing, students were saying I didn’t know he was born in Austria. Why did he join the German army? If this was a lesson being taught in my real class and not a “practice” I think students would learn a lot about Hitler and his rise to power.  I found the information interesting when I was preparing the lesson.  I think that we can teach history through many different formats and make it interesting for students.