Lesson Plan Teacher: Cristina Giansante Grade: 4

Common Core Standards Addressed:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.4: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific
words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view
with reasons and information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey
ideas and information clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.7: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through
investigation of different aspects of a topic.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with
diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning
words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.


NYS Scope:
Standard 1: History of the United States and New York
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, areas,
themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.
Key Idea 1.1: The study of New York State and United States history requires an analysis of the
development of American culture, its diversity and multicultural context, and the ways people are
unified by many values, practices, and traditions.
Key Idea 1.2: Important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions from New
York State and United States history illustrate the connections and interactions of people and
events across time and from a variety of perspectives
Standard 2: World History
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras,
themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from
a variety of perspectives.
Key Idea 2.1: The study of world history requires an understanding of world cultures and civilizations,
including an analysis of important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions. This study
also examines the human condition and the connections and interactions of people across time and
space and the ways different people view the same event or issue from a variety of perspectives.
Key Idea 2.2: Establishing timeframes, exploring different periodizations, examining themes
across time and within cultures, and focusing on important turning points in world history help
organize the study of world cultures and civilizations.


Unit Goals: Students will be able to discuss how the Native Americans influenced the
development of New York State.

Students will engage in:
Independent practice
Small group work
Project work
Other:_____________

Partner work
Whole group
Centers
_______________
Content Learning Objectives: Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the
culture and values of Iroquois Indians.
Students will synthesize their prior information on culture to gain a deep understanding on a
particular aspect of Iroquois life.
Language Learning Objectives: Students will use content appropriate vocabulary and proper
tenses when discussing or writing about the Iroquois Indians.
Learning Intentions: My intentions for this lesson are to provide students with a study on the
Iroquois Indians. They will listen to a read aloud, learn content vocabulary, and work together
with their classmates to investigate and research the lives and history of the Iroquois Indians.
Time What the Teacher will do What will the students do Please write in narrative form (rich details) Vocabulary Materials






7
minutes
Connections to Prior Knowledge and Review:

Teacher will ask the students what makes up a culture? As a class we will discuss what culture is by posing
questions, What defines a group of people? What are some things people who share a culture have in common?
Teacher will say This all makes up someones culture. Culture is a group of people who share similar beliefs and
views, from religion, to food, to origin. The teacher will ask students to share their culture with the class.

Teacher will show the students a map of New York in the SMARTBoard and show students what part of New York
we will be focusing on: Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk.
Culture
SMARTBoard
Computer
Map
15
minutes
Procedure/Mini-lesson:

Before reading the students will complete a pre-reading vocabulary prediction worksheet where they will predict
which vocabulary word goes with which definition.

Students will listen to a read aloud The Iroquois League from The Iroquois by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve
(pages 6-9). This serves as an introduction to the Iroquois Indian Tribe and discusses the start and establishment of
the Iroquois Indians. Teacher will stop at the end of each page and have the students turn and talk to their left hand
partner. They must discuss any new facts they learned, questions they may have, or any visualizations they made.
Teacher should pick about 2 groups to share their discussion and findings.

After reading the students will go over and correct the prediction vocabulary worksheet. Teacher will state we are
going to learn about the Iroquois Tribe today, and we will investigate who the Iroquois are, their culture and values,
and where they are today. After reading this story I made a connection, Im going to share that connection with
you, we learned that the Iroquois Tribe was originally made up of different Native Americans from different cultures
who lived on the same land. This reminds me of our classroom. Our classroom is like a tribe right? We all work
together, and we all live in this city, but we also all come from different cultures. I think thats a really awesome
connection.
Longhouse
Peacemaker
Persuade
League
Iroquois
Computer
Vocabulary
Sheet
The Iroquois by
Virginia Driving
Hawk Sneve


7
minutes
Guided Practice:

Teacher will show class the 3 table rotations they will be going through today. At each table the students will have
10 minutes to use all the books and articles provided to fill in their All about Iroquois graphic organizer. The
teacher will simulate how the rotations will work. Students will be in collaborative groups and will work together to
fill in their organizers.
Longhouse
Orenda
Wampum
Reservation
SMARTboard
All About
Iroquois
graphic
organizer
Iroquois books

As a class we will use table 1s topic to demonstrate on the SMARTBoard how to fill in the organizer and use the
resources. Teacher will ask students If Im in charge of looking for information on where the Iroquois lived, what
would be some good ideas to list on my organizer? (Wait for student feedback) Lets look at this section labeled
longhouses from Petra Press book; I could include what they looked like, how many people/families lived in each
one, and what they are made of. If I have some extra time I would include a drawing of a longhouse to help me.
and articles for
rotations.

30
minutes
Independent Practice (Individual/Group):

Students will be placed in heterogeneous groups based on their language level, and ability to work efficiently
together.

Table 1: What, Where, Who were the Iroquois?
Students will investigate the roles of the men, women, and children. They will also investigate where and what they
lived in.

Table 2: What were their beliefs and values?
Students will investigate their religion, clothing, and lifestyle (what they ate, hunted for, and played)

Table 3: Where are they today?
Students will investigate where the Iroquois reside today, what they live in, and how they live.

Students will spend 10 minutes at each station and fill in as much of their graphic organizers as possible with their
group members. Teacher will circulate the classroom and spend time with each group to assess and monitor that the
students are on task.
Longhouse
Orenda
Wampum
Reservation
SMARTboard
All About
Iroquois
graphic
organizer
Iroquois books
and articles for
rotations.


10
minutes
Closure/Summary/Sharing:
Questions and Differentiation/adaptations

As a class we will gather together and go over each section of the graphic organizer. Students will share their
information from each section and we will compile a master graphic organizer on the SMARTBoard. Students will
be given the master copy the following day. Students will be informally assessed on participation and information
gathered.


Longhouse
Orenda
Wampum
Reservation
SMARTBoard
Master Graphic
Organizer
Homework Assigned/Extension Activities

Students will create a journal entry in their social studies notebook pretending to be an Iroquois Indian. They will
pick a topic from their table rotations (for example: a day in the life of a Iroquois child) and place themselves in the
life of an Iroquois.
Longhouse
Orenda
Wampum
Reservation





PRE-READING PREDICTIONS:
VOCABULARY

Directions: Read each definition and make your best prediction to match these words to their correct term. At the end of the reading we will go
back and check your predictions!


1. Large wooden buildings with round roofs that
housed several Iroqouis families.



2. To cause someone to do or believe something through
reasoning.



3. An alliance of people who discuss issues that concern the
tribe.



4. A man from the Iroquois tribe who had a vision that
all of the Iroquois tribes could live happily together.



5. A tribe of Indians from Western New York





A. Iroquois

B. Longhouse

C. League

D. Persuade

E. Peacemaker
Table 1







The Iroquois
Graphic organizer

WHat
are some facts that you have
learned?















WHO
are they, what are their roles?








MEN:




WOMEN:




CHILDREN:
WHere
did they live? With who? In
what?

Lifestyle
(What they ate, hunter for, and played)

Table 2
Additional facts I learned:















The Iroquois
Beliefs & values
Graphic organizer















Religion









Clothing

HOW
do they live?

Additional facts I learned:





Table 3









The Iroquois
TODAY
Graphic organizeR


Where
do they live?









WHAT
do they live in today?