POWERFUL SOCIAL STUDIES LESSON PLAN OUTLINE

JMU Elementary Education Program: ELED 434 ALL SECTIONS

The following information should be included in the header of the lesson plan:
Eleanor Ellison
4th grade
April 7th 2015

A. TITLE OF LESSON: Revolutionary War: Tug of War!

B. CONTEXT OF LESSON
The students will have just finished up their Revolutionary War Unit. They will have been tested on the topic, and I will conduct
the following simulation as a follow-up lesson on the Revolutionary war. The students have expressed great interest in the topic,
their social studies teacher says they are always asking questions and sparking discussion on the topic. My lesson will provide the
students opportunity to use all the steps of Blooms Taxonomy: remember the facts they learned, understand why the colonists won,
apply their knowledge of the war to their simulation, analyze the different sides advantages and disadvantages, and create an
informed evaluation of the circumstances and how the war played out.

C. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand what are the broad
generalizations the students should
begin to develop? (These can be
difficult to assess in one lesson.)

Know what are the facts, rules,

specific data the students will gain
through this lesson? (These
knows must be assessed in your
lesson.)

Do what are the specific

thinking behaviors students will be
able to do or practice as a result of
this lesson? (These will also be
assessed in your lesson.)

Why winning a war is

more than is more than

numbers and training

Develop an answer to the

question, is everyone
fighting for something they

They will be modeling the

Revolutionary War

advantages and disadvantages

The different strengths and

through a simulation that gets

weaknesses each side had:

them up and actively involved in

o British had a better

the content. They will be filling

trained army
o Colonies had

believe in?

Who won the

motivation

Do all the winners of a war

o British had to send

truly win?

troops and supplies

over an ocean
o Colonies were on
their own land
o The French came in
to help the
colonists

Experience how powerful

the advantages and

out a worksheet to keep track of

the advantages and disadvantages
as we move through the
simulation.

disadvantages really were

D. ASSESSING LEARNING:
What will your students do or say, specifically, that indicate every student has achieved your objectives? Rememberevery
objective must be assessed for every student!
Task:
Diagnostic features: Support:
What learning tasks have you organized
Each student will What resources can you draw upon
that can be used for assessment?
(or adaptations can you make) to
The students will take note of each
keep track of the be certain you are actually
assessing the objectives youve set
advantage/disadvantage added to both
for this lesson? Some children may
simulations on a
still be developing the basic skills
sides, and predict how it will affect the
needed to complete your
worksheet and
assessment, but it does not mean
outcome of each simulation.
they have not learned the
write their
objectives for your lesson. How will
you support these students?
predictions and
Questions will be encouraged
results of the tugthroughout the lesson. For the
of-war.
students who do not feel
We will host mini
comfortable asking for help, I will
discussions
be scanning the predictions and
before each
write ups to be sure everyone is on
simulation and
the right track. If I notice someone
then a wrap up
not on the right path I will point
discussion

them in the right direction.

E. RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING (and NATIONAL STANDARDS if required)

VS.5 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of Virginia in the American Revolution by
a) identifying the reasons why the colonies went to war with Great Britain, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence;
b) identifying the various roles played by whites, enslaved African Americans, free African Americans, and American Indians in
the Revolutionary War era, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and James Lafayette;
c) identifying the importance of the Battle of Great Bridge, the ride of Jack Jouett, and the American victory at Yorktown.
F. MATERIALS NEEDED
Rope
Candy/stickers (some incentive)
Worksheets-I will provide
G. PROCEDURE
Introduction: Ask the children for a quick summary of the war, specifically who won, and their assessment of the advantages/disadvantages of
each side. I will then have the students pick out who the strongest half of the class themselves taking into account training or their playing of
sports teams. Then explain the set-up of the tug-of-war game, and what we will be modeling. I will then pass out the worksheets and explain how
they will be keeping track of all the different advantages/disadvantages. The whole class will be on either the British, or the Colonies. After we
have a quick discussion on each added advantage/disadvantage, the students will make a prediction on who will win, and then that particular tuga-war will run its course.
Revolutionary Tug-a-War
Stage 1 - The Beginning/Setting: Imagine if you were watching a tug-of-war game, on one side were the biggest and strongest in the class and on
the other side were the smallest students
Question: Who do you think will win? Why?
Stage 2 - Motivation: Now imagine that if the Colonists were to win, they would receive a bunch of candy, whereas the British would receive
nothing for winning. Be sure to not call the candy candy but instead to call it freedom. Discuss why freedom as an idea was enough
motivation for the colonists to go to war. Then make sure the students understand the candy represents the freedom the colonists in the
Continental Army would receive if they were to win.

*Note: A member of the colonists would not receive candy for winning - this is to represent African American slaves and Loyalists that would not
benefit from the war.be sure to ask the students first if there were any people living in America that wouldnt benefit if the colonists won.
Question: Who do you think will win now? Why?
Stage 3 - Trans-Atlantic Supply: Now imagine if half of the British Team had to stand several yards away from their other teammates. These
members would have to run to help their other British Team members once the tug-of-war started. This is to represent the challenge Britain faced
in supplying its troops across the Atlantic Ocean.
Question: Who do you think will win now? Why?
Stage 4 - Offensive v. Defensive War: Now imagine if in order for the British Team to win, they would have to pull the rope 20 more feet in their
direction than the Colonist Team. This is to represent the British Army's objective to fight an offensive war and to retake the land in America, as
opposed to the American colonies' objective merely to defend their country.
Question: Who do you think will win now? Why?
Stage 5 - The French Help the Continental Army: For the final stage, I will reorganize the teams a tad. I will take three kids from each the British
and the colonies off their teams to form the French team. They will start off cheering for the Colonies, and then after all the British have made it
to their end of the rope, the French will be allowed to jump in and help the Colonist Team as the tug-of-war continues. This is to represent
France's entry into the Revolutionary War, which provided the American colonists with more military power.
Question: Who do you think will win now? Why?
H. DIFFERENTIATION:
There are a few students in my class who have difficulties retaining comprehension when simply reading, so all
simulations will be read aloud. To ensure my students gain the most out of the lesson, they will hear, discuss, write, and do the
simulation. Teaching to all learning styles will ensure the material reaches the most students.
Questions will be encouraged throughout the lesson. For the students who do not feel comfortable asking for help, I will
be scanning the predictions and write ups to be sure everyone is on the right track. If I notice someone not on the right path I
will point them in the right direction.

I. RATIONALE: 1-Double-spaced page that justifies what you are teaching and why it is important for students to develop a deep
understanding of what is being taught. Be sure to emphasize how it contributes to students development as citizens and to their
lives beyond school. Explain why it matters in terms of its meaning to students, the value of the subject content, opportunities for
inquiry and its importance to the community and to society. The rationale should not be that the lesson fits within the state or
school curriculum.
The victory of the colonists during the Revolutionary War is what led to the founding of this nation. The story of the
American Revolution is what we have to thank in becoming good citizens. Understanding how important motivation and fighting
for freedom can be is essential in understanding all revolutions, and why they start, and how untrained civilians can beat an army.
This simulation also shows how resources and distance play a crucial role in fighting a war. What I really liked about this
particular simulation is that it also shows that not all the citizens who fight in a revolution benefit at the end, and that some citizens
who didnt fight still become citizens. This simulation also touches on why outside nations become involved in revolutions, and
why they also may not jump right into a revolution as the French didnt start really helping right away even though they
unofficially supported the colonists. The French waited until it was finally foreseeable that the colonists could win.

J. WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT?
Think about this! It may help you avoid an embarrassing situation. Look over the choices youve made for teaching this lesson.
What extenuating circumstances (based on what you know if your students, their schedules, and the context in which you teach)
could potentially derail your otherwise excellent plan? Identify at least 4 potential problems and thoughtfully describe your plan
for addressing them when they arise? IN other words, what are your contingency plans?
All the different added advantages/disadvantages could take too long to do them all individually, so I will have to condense some
of the stages of the simulation. The students could be under aware of the situations each side was presented with, and I will need to
spend more time going over the curriculum than stages in the simulation. I will also have to constantly remind the students as we
move through the simulation that it is not an accurate science, and the tug-of-war match winners doesnt necessarily mean that is
who would have or did win under those exact circumstances. We can discuss what other variables would affect the outcome of the

war.

Lesson Implementation Reflection

As soon as possible after teaching your lesson, think about the experience. Use the questions/prompts below to guide your thinking. Be
thorough in your reflection and use specific examples to support your insights.
I. How did your actual teaching of the lesson differ from your plans? Describe the changes and explain why you made them.
I split the teams by first asking, who here plays football, who is on a soccer team, and basketball team.. until half the class
was on one side. I then said that was the British team. One of the boys on the colonists team yelled, but I am on a baseball
team! It was the perfect opportunity for me to say, yes, and some of the colonists were trained soldiers as well! George
Washington was a great soldier, dont you agree? That helped the students be very proud of their separation. I also changed
the motivation of freedom stage a bit. I originally planned that only one person would not gain freedom, but I decided to
change that since really more than half the population didnt gain any freedom, as womens roles wouldnt change. So I
changed it to only the boys would get the reward, and that the girls represented the women at the time as well as slaves and
loyalists. I decided to combine stages 3 and 4 into one stage for the sake of time and because they were connected
advantages/disadvantages.

II. Based on the assessment you created, what can you conclude about your impact on student learning? Did they learn? Who learned?
What did they learn? What evidence can you offer that your conclusions are valid?
My students expressed that they didnt know that the French helped the Colonists win the war, and they were interested to
know. Their worksheets also showed that they thought motivation would be enough to win, and although it was a major factor,
it was not the only thing helping the colonists win. My activity served as a review, so the students knew that the slaves and
loyalists did not get freedom, and I was impressed that they knew that a womans role wouldnt change either.

III. Describe at least one way you could incorporate developmentally appropriate practice in a better or more thorough way if you were to
teach this lesson again.
I would like there to be a better way to split the kids up originally. I spent a lot of time deciding and I think the way I did it
worked out best, but if I could think of a way that doesnt separate strong from weak or big from small that would be ideal If
I had time I would have loved to incorporate some primary documents into the introduction of the lesson, as well as a
assignment at the end, a creative expression of the revolutionary war, using their prior knowledge and experience in the
simulation.

IV. Based on the assessment data you collected what would you do/teach next if you were the classroom teacher?
My students impressed me with their knowledge on the Revolutionary War. As that was the end of the unit, I would move onto
the founding of America, introducing the state the colonies were in after the war, and their first attempt at creating a new
country with the Articles of the Confederacy.
V. As a result of planning and teaching this lesson, what have you learned or had reinforced about young children as learners?
I reinforced just how much children can absorb in the span of a few weeks. The students had just been introduced to the
Revolutionary War in detail over the past few weeks, and interrupted by a parade of snow storms, yet they were able to retain
specific facts, and concepts such as who wouldnt have gained freedom. I think really ting these ideas together in a simulation
afforded the students the opportunity to commit those facts and details to memory, for you remember most of what you do and
only a portion of what you read or hear about.
VI. As a result of planning and teaching this lesson, what have you learned or had reinforced about teaching? what have you learned or had
reinforced about yourself?
a. I was very nervous about approaching this lesson as I knew it had the potential for chaos. However, I was impressed with
myself for maintaining my authority not only outside and with a fun activity, but guesting in another teachers classroom. I was
also glad that my students saw that respect for me, but were also able to have fun with me. I enjoyed this lesson so much and

definitely have the goal to use simulations in as many units as possible when teaching in the future. I really feel that actively
participating in your learning is not only the most effective way to remember and truly understand your learning, but also the
best way to enjoy learning and school.