Compare and Contrast, Generalize, Writing

Content Area: Language Arts (Social Studies)

Grade Level:7^th – 8^th

Objectives:

	Compare, contrast and evaluate ideas and information from various sources and genres (1.C.3c).
	Summarize and make generalizations from content and relate them to the purpose of the material (1.C.3d).
	Establish central idea, organization, elaboration and unity in relation to purpose and audience (3.B.2b).
	Produce and format compositions for specified audiences using available technology (3.C.2b).

Strategies/Techniques:

	The lesson is going to have students work in small groups to create a front page of a newspaper during 1788, when the constitution was written and ratified.
	As a teacher, make sure every one of my students are allowed to participate by putting them in groups where there will be no one monopolizing the discussion.
	Also as the teacher make sure that the workload is shared equally among the group members.

Materials:

	Computer(s) Microsoft Works Program (newspaper format)
	Reference Sources Encourage students to use books. Internet, but don’t let students rely solely on this source
	Construction Paper (for the creation of the front page newspaper) if computers aren’t accessible.

Anticipatory set:

	The anticipatory set for this activity could be looking at the design of old newspapers and give examples of how the student groups might focus theirs on.
	Students may need to study the way newspapers were written and try to use the language that would make their articles look like they written in the time frame of the American Revolution.
	Also, the teacher would lead discussions about the different important facts that the students may need to point out under each of the different topics the groups will be researching.

Development:

1. Begin the class by having prompts of old newspapers that the students can study to see an example of something they are going to create.  Make sure students understand that newspapers provided a way for

2. As the teacher assign topics to the groups or allow the groups to choose their own topic.  If you allow the groups to choose their own topics make them okay the topic with the teacher where many groups are not researching the same topic.  This is done where multiple groups aren’t researching the same topics.

3. Previous lessons should provide the students with basic information about the American Revolution.

4. Previous lessons should provide the students with basic information about the American Revolution.

	Discussions about views of Federalists vs. Anti-federalists
	Problems the founding fathers faced getting constitution ratified
	Positives and Negatives about the first constitution

Closure:

Students will display their work and briefly give a summary to the rest of the groups about the topic of the final newspaper.  Also the teacher may be able to put the entire class works together to form a complete newspaper from around the time period of 1788.

Modifications/Adaptations:

	The lesson could be modified where different groups in the class are working on different sections of the newspaper.  This would allow for a complete newspaper to be finished when the lesson comes to a close.
	The lesson could be adapted if computers aren’t accessible because the students could still use reference books and they could create their newspaper using art materials.

Extensions:

After the teacher has had access to all the finished newspapers allow the students to share their work with the class.  The teacher could even set up an evening when families could come into the class and view the completed newspapers and the students may also share their projects then.

Technology:

Computers are going to be a part of the assignment because students may want to save information as documents.  They may also decide to type information and attach it to their construction paper.

Assessment of Student Learning:

Have students that did opposing sides (Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists) of the story do a small debate in class that would show how much they understood the two sides of the Revolution.

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