What's An Amendment?

Common Core and Arkansas Standards:

• C.5.5.14 Identify the provisions of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. *Define the amendments * Vocabulary: Slavery, amendment, abolish, voter's rights, provisions

• RI.5.3 Explain relationships between 2 or more concepts in a historical text

• W 5.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information

• W 5.7 Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

• SL 5.4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

NETS-S

• Communication and Collaboration Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

• Research and Information Fluency Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.

• Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

 

How are students grouped?

• Students will work in heteregenous teams of three. Although the resources are diverse and allow for auditory support through read-aloud websites and multimedia components, I recommend grouping students with differing strengths and weaknesses together.

• Each student will research one amendment.

• Groups will compare and contrast elements of an amendment and work together to create a proposal for an amendment facing modern-day society.

• Students will collaboratively compose one multimedia presentation to share with the class.

 

Reminders:

• Remind students to refer to the class anchor chart about the main parts of an amendment.

• Remind students that they may change graphic organizers, if when reflecting on progress, they realize their choice does not fully support their product.

• Remind students of discussion norms:

       Wait to begin speaking until the speaker has finished his or her point.

      Make eye contact with the speaker.

      Seek to understand what your group member is saying.

      Listen attentively with intent to respond.

      Agree and define the message that your group wants to convey to others.

      Appreciate other people's perspectives.

 

Management:

• When students begin researching for their amendment, the intent is for them to work independently given the amount of videos and read aloud sources. However, it may be necessary to combine two groups and allow students to become an expert alongside another class member.

• Students will be accountable to take their expert knowledge back to their original group and share the information.

• Students will need 1:1 or 1:2 computer access depending on your grouping preference. Options may include scheduling computer lab access, or printing web resources thereby creating print resources.

• Also, on the research page, one of the links deliberately links back to the video on the introduction page.

• For the padlet assignment, you may want to create a collaborative page and send the link to students or write the URL on the board. Creating a teacher account and providing one URL to students will allow all student's posts to be seen on one padlet wall. You will also be able to save this to use as a formative assessment of student's current understandings.

 

Assessment:

There are two types of assessment in this unit:

• Formative - While students are researching their amendment, monitor, observe, and record anecdotal notes of evidence of comprehension of material. Questions you may consider:

       Are students accessing each resource? Are students taking effective notes? Are notes paraphrased in            own language or merely regurgitation of information? Were they able to define the assigned                            amendment? Did they pause and replay videos to accurately gather information? Did they have

       expert information to relay to their group? The use of formative assessment will guide you as to                      whether you need to assist students, provide additional resources, or group studetns

       differently to complete the webquest.

       Padlet Wall - refer to student's comments regarding the content of a bill to assess comprehension of              material.

• Summative - Through collaboration, students will design and create a multimedia presentation that will be graded with a formal rubric. Presentations should not exceed 4 minutes as students are practicing how to deliver a clear and defined message.

* The EPIC organizer works well for teaching students to define and clarify their message.