8th-grade Inquiry Unit - Identify Lesson 

 

Lesson Title: What Are Our Questions about Denton County Just Before, During, and Immediately After the Civil War?

 

Inquiry Phase: Identify

 

Grade Level: 8th Grade

 

Essential Questions:

1. What was the impact of the Civil War on Denton County citizens? 2. How can we assess primary source artifacts and secondary source materials in terms of validity and bias and use these resources to support a particular interpretation of historical events?

 

Lesson Plan Objectives:

At the end of these lessons, students will be able to:

1. Define a researchable question and formulate open-ended questions.

2. Categorize questions on a graphic organizer.

3. Analyze their top three questions in terms of time, interest, and available resources.

 

Social Studies TEKS (for this lesson):

§113.20. (b) Knowledge and skills.

(23) Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings. The student is expected to: (A) use a problem-solving process to identify a problem...

 

ELA-R TEKS (for this lesson):

§110.18b

(22) Research/Research Plan. Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them. Students are expected to:

(A) brainstorm, consult with others, decide upon a topic, and formulate a major research question to address the major research topic.

 

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Indicators:

1.1.2 Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning. 1.1.3 Develop and refine a range of questions to frame search for new understanding.

 

Assessment Tool: Question and Decision Maker Matrix

(Optional Inquiry Phase Exit Ticket)

 

Resources for this Unit of Study

 

Resources for this Lesson:

Question and Decision Maker Matrix

Question and Decision Maker Matrix Teacher Resource

Inquiry Phase Exit Ticket (optional)

 

Estimated Lesson Time: One 50-minute Lesson

 

Instructional Plan Outline:

Classroom Teacher – School Librarian(s) Collaboration:

• The classroom teacher and school librarian review the “Our Confederate Soldiers, 1861 – 1912” script and prepare to use think-alouds to support the questions on the Question and Decision Maker Matrix.

• Educators co-monitor the students’ guided practice as they work as individuals, with partners, or in small groups to develop questions in the categories on the matrix.

• Educators assess the students’ questions and form inquiry groups (optional) or students can continue their inquiry as individual learners or with partners.

 

Measurable Outcome or Final Product: With educator guidance, individual students, partners, or small groups will develop one or more open-ended researchable questions related to the involvement of Denton residents and impact of the Civil War on Denton County.

 

Preparation

• The educators make one copy of the Question and Decision Maker Matrix for each student or provide the graphic organizer electronically.

• The educators review the “Confederate Soldiers, Denton County, 1861 – 1912” VoiceThread script and the students’ Exit Tickets from the previous lessons.

• Select several student questions to be used as examples for the lesson.

• Integrate academic vocabulary into think-alouds: cause and effect, problem-solution, compare and contrast.

• Integrate discipline-specific vocabulary into the lesson: chronological, political, economic, technological, value system, cause and effect, problem and solution, compare and contrast, and open-ended questions.

 

Motivation

1. Educators share information from the December 25, 2013 Denton Record-Chronicle article related to the 2014 artifact search. Ask, “Why is/was the county looking for artifacts?”

2. Return students’ Exit Tickets from the Explore Phase lesson(s). Review students’ responses as a whole class, in partners, or small groups.

3. Educators invite students into the inquiry by noting that rather than answering the questions in the textbook, they will be developing and answering their own questions using primary sources as much as possible and supporting their interpretations with secondary sources as well.

4. Educators post the lesson objectives and let students know they are to develop open-ended questions and record them on the Question and Decision Maker Matrix.

5. Define an open-ended question as one that cannot be answered with “yes” or “no” and requires in-depth research. Open-ended researchable questions are also worthwhile and meaningful to the student. Students must also be able to answer the three questions on the back of the Question and Decision Maker Matrix related to time, interest, and available resources.

 

Presentation

6. Educators project the Question and Decision Maker Matrix and note the essential question: How Can We Use Primary Source Documents and Artifacts and Secondary Sources to Learn about Denton County Just Before, During, and Immediately After the Civil War?

7. Along with students, define the category terms on the Question and Decision Maker Matrix.

8. Educators use think-alouds to ponder one or two questions raised by the “Our Confederate Soldiers” presentation and ask students to speculate how the presentation prompted each question.

9. Optional: If students need examples, educators can use the open-ended questions on the Question and Decision Maker Matrix Teacher Resource. Educators point out the bolded keywords in each open-ended question that relate to the question category.

10. Educators take turns sharing examples of students’ questions (from Exit Tickets) and use think-alouds to determine if each question fits in one (or more) of these categories.

11. Educators demonstrate recording one or more open-ended questions on the Question and Decision Maker Matrix.

 

Student Participation

12. Let students know they are to develop open-ended researchable questions in as many categories as possible. (Note: All students will complete the matrix whether they are working individually, in partners, or in small groups to develop questions.)

 

Guided Practice

13. Educators monitor as students develop and categorize open-ended questions.

14. Educators prompt students who need support in developing questions.

 

Closure

15. Students circle their top three questions that are the most engaging to them.

16. They record them on the back of the Question and Decision Maker Matrix and answer the three questions. Finally, they circle the one question that is the most promising in terms of time, interest, and available resources.

17. Ask students to turn to a neighbor and share why they chose that particular question.

18. Let students know their initial questions may change as they engage with Civil War primary sources and secondary resources.

 

Reflection

19. How does investigating a primary source document prompt questioning?

20. How do you draw inferences from information?

21. How do graphic organizers help you organize your thinking?

 

Assessment

22. Educators review students’ Question and Decision Maker Matrices for both the quantity and quality of the open-ended questions students recorded, whether or not the questions are appropriately categorized, and students’ determination of the most promising of their top three inquiry questions.

 

Follow Up

23. Educators determine whether students should work individually, in partners, or in small groups to continue their inquiry into Denton County just before, during, and just after the Civil War.

 

Lesson Plan Resources

For Students:

8th_Grade_Identify_Question_Decision_Maker_Matrix.doc 
 

 

For Educators:

8th_Grade_Identify_Question_Decison_Maker_Matrix_Teacher_Resource.doc

 

Lesson Plans

8th_Grade_Identify_Lesson_Plan_Only.doc

 

8th_Grade_Identify_Lesson_Plan_Full.pdf