Social Studies Lesson, 11.14.12

Grade Level and Unit: Social Studies  North American Geography

Session and Description of Lesson Tasks: Whole group multi media listening activity Small group activity Individual wrap up of activity Large group share out

Materials needed: ¨  Student activity books ¨  Aluminum foil ¨  Scissors ¨  Small cubes ¨  Timer ¨  Smart board

Grouping Decisions: Whole group listening activity on the rug > small group work around the room > individual work at desks > share out at desks

Learning goals/Objective(s) Why do we call the N.E. the birthplace of our nation? Why did our nations first factories start here? What large cities are found in the North East? 1. All children will be able to empathize with the plight of a factory worker working in an assembly line. 2. All children will be able to evaluate the pros and cons of mass production in factories versus production using machines. 3. All children will learn about what makes Hershey, PA notable in the North East.

Language Objectives (language modeled / expected to be heard during student discourse) mass production a way of making very large quantities of a product assembly line

Standards: MA Curriculum Frameworks Grade 4 Concepts and Skills History and Geography 3. Observe and describe national historic sites and describe their function and significance.

Connect and Anticipate: Today we are going to continue on our “train tour” of the North East, and stop by a very special city. Whole group listens to voice recording, introducing children to Hershey, PA with special focus on factories. Focus Questions What did we learn from this stop on the train tour? Why did our nations first factories start here?

Launch: We are going to do a little simulation where you will get a chance to experience life in a Hershey factory, mass-producing Hershey’s chocolates.   Let’s break into groups of 3. Explore: Each group of a 3 has a 1) wrap cutter, 2) candy placer, and 3) candy wrapper. The goal is to wrap as many pieces of “candy” as a possible in 3 minutes using foil, scissors, and stones.  Players stand in straight line.  This is how products like candy were mass-produced before machines.  Factory workers, such as yourselves, in assembly lines. Summary: Many factories today have machines replacing workers for jobs such as candy wrapping.  Individually are going to now get a chance to reflect on what is felt like to be a factory worker today and how you think it might be better or worse if a machine took your job. Share out after individual summative assessment worksheets. What have we learned today? What key facts did we learn about this site? What are some adjectives we could use to describe it?

Evidence: Why did our nations first factories start here? -Waterpower – factories were built alongside rivers that went rushing down mountains.  The rushing water made factories run. -People power – the north east was a good place for people to start business; there were many people to work in these business Summative Worksheet that asks to draw the face of someone working in a factory (objective 1) and to compare mass production methods (objective 2)

Differentiated Instruction: ELL Special Ed. Give students transcripts of media intro to Hershey, PA as a preview and to follow along. Extension

Notes and Reflections The transition from rug to groups was iffy.  I waited until they were in their groups with materials in front of them to give the directions on how to perform the assembly line.  This was a big mistake.  I definitely should’ve known better than to expect anyone to focus when there are materials in front of them. Although the set-up of the assembly line took some time and probably could’ve been planned better, I thought the activity itself was engaging and fun for the kids.   Once the timer started, they were focused and in the zone.  And the transition to individual work was a lot smoother. The few students who had the transcript in front of them knew the information better.  I think the next time I do a media presentation like this again, I will try giving all students the transcript to follow along with.  Similarly, I wish I had done more to follow up on the factories, since that was a really important part of the lesson that got down played by the cool activity. My last note is that ALL of the students were able to meet objectives 1 and 2, as proved by their worksheets.  In that aspect, the lesson was a big success.  I would like to see if I can maybe check in with this learning target later on in social studies.

Sample of student work:
Reads - Two adjectives that describe how you feel about your job: "happy, tired."
Positives about machines that wrap candies: "Things would go by quicker"

Negatives about machines that wrap candies: "If you wrapped candies you would loose your job"